WHY IS IRISH CINEMA SO MIDDLE CLASS?

One thing you notice when watching Irish movies (regardless of their quality) is that they appear to be mostly made from a middle-class perspective. Not that this is a bad thing in theory but unfortunately the end result is usually a mediocre film.

Most film graduates probably come from a middle-class background? Most film producers also come from a middle-class background? Most film financers too come from a middle-class background? So what's the problem? Well a few could include: conservative approach to filmmaking; limited stories to tell; lack of risk taking; ignoring the marginalised parts of society; using clichéd characters; too much emphasis on technical filmmaking; lack of originality; emphasis on melodrama; lack of gritty storylines; films made by people with a sheltered life experience; too much 'niceness'; lack of intellectual ability; team playing instead of leading; overconfidence in their abilities; and making too much stuff aimed at winning awards. Some Irish films do get the middle-class thing spot on (About Adam) but the rest fail as these films just don't ring true. What Irish cinema is crying out for is a Claude Chabrol. He makes films that dissect the French middle-classes. Films that get under the surface and expose the facade that middle-class people sometimes hide behind. The closest we have to this kind of film is Tiger's tail - a terrible movie. Middle-class films are just too boring and conservative to find an audience. Look at rubbish like Trouble with sex - a technically well-made but bland and boring movie. What we need are filmmakers from working-class backgrounds who have something to say. How about a realist movie made by someone who grew up in poverty during the Celtic Tiger? What we also need are filmmakers from upper-class backgrounds (if there are any left now!) with something to say. How about someone making an Irish 'Merchant Ivory film'. What we need too are films made by people new to Ireland. It's no coincidence that the best Irish film this year was Foxes - made by a foreigner living here. There are too many middle-class films made in Ireland. Even the ones that are supposed to be set in a working-class background (Intermission) have a middle-class tone. These films are just bad. They don't ring true. The whole conservative nature of Irish cinema can be blamed on too many middle-class people in charge! These kind of people are usually nice, have nothing genuine to say, and probably prefer the theatre or television to cinema. It shows in their work far too often. They're the kind of people who won't rock the boat, stay quiet when complete crap gets released (Anton), and play the system for what it is without realising that the best filmmakers work mostly outside it.