The Drummer and the Keeper

The Drummer and the Keeper (2017), directed and written by Nick Kelly, is a dramatic film about an uncanny friendship between a bipolar drummer of a rock band (Gabriel) and an institutionalized teenager with Asperger's syndrome (Christopher) set against the city scapes of Dublin. It stars Dermot Murphy (Gabriel) and Jacob McCarthy (Christopher). We meet Gabriel in the opening shot, bare-arsed, setting fire to a couch he has dragged on the beach set against the city scape of Dublin. The film cuts to a staged intervention set up by his sister Alice and band mates to get him help, and just before he begins his treatment with Dr. Flavahan, he torches his hearse. As part of his treatment plan and to combat the side effects of his medication, he participates in a mixed ability football game where he meets Christopher, and the highs and lows of their friendship begins and shapes the narrative of the film. McCarthy's gives a poignant portrayal of a high functioning and highly intelligent teenager with Asperger's syndrome whose acting performance demonstrates the signs of the syndrome including idiosyncratic behaviours, poor social communication skills and inability to read social cues, together with obsessive and repetitive routines. Murphy also shines in his performance as a deeply troubled bi-polar young man acting out the highs and lows of his character's untreated bipolar disorder with psychotic features. Their performances allow us to empathize with their characters and experience the highs and lows of their life. The film is full of twists and turns which creates dramatic tension and is peppered with comedic punctuation thanks to Christopher's brutal honesty in his social dealings which provides the viewer with cathartic release. Gabriel's therapy sessions, a running motif in the film, stitches the film into a cohesive structure. The filmmaker has woven together many visual elements and editing techniques to create a compelling film juxtaposing the narrative of their friendship against Gabriel's bipoloar disorder and Christopher's Asperger's syndrome and the narrative of their individual identities. By juxtaposing Gabriel's functioning, on and off his medication, the filmmaker shines a light on the devastating impact untreated bipolar disorder can have on a person's life. The sound track and the music performances in the film add a richness and a complexity to the film and help set the tone. The St. Cosmas musical performance toward the end of the film had me reaching for kleenex. The cut aways of the city scapes of Dublin add another layer of complexity situating the story line within a context and geography. The filmmaker succeeds in creating intimate portraits of the two men and we see them as they want us to see them and not as Gabriel's bipolar disorder and Christopher's Asperger's syndrome even though they form a part of their narrative identities. Although the story line is formulaic, boy meets boy, boy loses boy, boy finds boy again, it nevertheless works and dramatizes the uncanny friendship they have. When the outcome looks bleak and dismal, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and the film pleasantly surprises. In spite of the dramatic story line, the film is nevertheless a feel good movie and a bro-mance film that will tug at your heartstrings. It's a compelling film because it not only gives cinematic expression to the aspirations and dreams of people with mixed abilities but explores dimensions of mental health and personality disorders framed within the pathology of psychiatric diagnoses through the story line of friendship between Gabriel and Christopher. I enjoyed the film for its uplifting and positive story line. There is much to recommend it. It's a film that celebrates the underdog, the bonds of friendship, and focuses on ability and not disability to move forward in life. Do see it for you won't be disappointed.

Boring movie ...not worth the light of day

I caught this at the Gasparilla International Film Festival. The Drummer and the Keeper was a refreshing, honest look at life and the struggles going on all around us. The raw emotion, the brutal cruelty and the quest for true friendship are all to real in this beautifully crafted film. Charming, sweet and eye opening; this is something everyone should see especially is you have anyone in your life affected by mental illness or developmental challenge.

If you get a chance to see this film, don't miss it!

Superb film full of humour and sympathy but never sentimental and at times tough to watch.

was expecting a lot more grit in this portrayal. bit of a fantasists view of the treatment of severe and enduring mental ill health but none the less, owt is better than nowt. Found some the soundtrack quite irritating at times, as if someone had an overlong list of songs and effects that had to be squeezed in. In contrast there were a couple of instances toward the end where silence was used quiet effectively. The more folks go to see, the better. good effort.