Keep Calm And Grab A Box Of Tissues – The Queen Of Ireland Is Coming!

In a rare, but welcome turn of events, this week’s top picks are (almost) 100% Irish. And not in a "my great grandmother's kitten was from Ireland so I'm actually part Irish" kind of way.

Here’s the best of this week’s new releases...

The Queen Of Ireland

From Wednesday 21st October. Select cinemas.

When Pantigate hit last year, director Conor Horgan had been working away on a documentary about national treasure Panti Bliss/Rory O’ Neill for quite some time.

Following O’ Neill’s interview on The Brendan O’ Connor show, the eruption of nationwide debate would provide the filmmaker with a renewed focus.

And so, the stage was set for filming to run right up until the 2015 Marriage Equality referendum, with the film, brilliantly titled The Queen Of Ireland, finally hitting screens next week. Naturally enough, the results are wonderfully uplifting.

Spoiler alert: The good guys win.

The Lobster

From Friday 16th October. General Release.

Boasting probably the most bizarre synopses of any film released this year, Yorghos Lanthimos’ ‘unconventional’ love story depicts a dystopian near-future in which single people are carted off to a hotel and given 45 days to find a partner, or else be turned into an animal of their choosing.

Winning the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, The Lobster was filmed mostly in Dublin and County Kerry last year, and showcases a brilliant cast including Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz and John C.Reilly amongst others.

If you can get past the absurdity of the premise, this hilarious, unique film promises to be one of 2015’s best.

Ireland on Sunday: Monged

Sunday 18th October, 1pm. Cast & Crew in attendance. IFI Dublin.

Screening as part of the IFI's monthly showcase for Irish film, Monged casts an eye to the drug-fuelled weekender experienced by central trio Dave (rising star Graham Earley), Ray (Rex Ryan) and Bernard (Love/Hate’s John Connors).

Monged takes in a host of familiar city centre pubs and clubs as the unlikely lads attempt to rid themselves of an unwelcome consignment of pills from Joe Rooney’s dodgy dealer, with Bernard acting as their unwitting guinea pig.

Adapted from Gary Duggan’s original play, Monged’s relaxed attitude to the madness of the weekend bendy is both refreshing and intoxicating, but might leave you with a sore head afterwards.