Synopsis:
Set in a small Irish village in the 1920s, this story of pathological stubbornness is based on a Chinese folktale. After the death of his wife, loner cabbage farmer Harry (Colm Meaney) randomly picks well-loved pub-owner George (Adrian Dunbar) as his enemy in order to reinvest his life with meaning. Harry's stutteringly shy son Gus (Cillian Murphy) is caught in the crossfire, desperately wanting to marry the latest girl (Kerry Condon) that matchmaker George has brought to town, but not wishing to cross his unpredictable, emotionally abusive father. As scandals erupt in their small town, Harry's once one-sided enmity is returned and trouble escalates in this tale of utter self-destruction.
Set in a small Irish village in the 1920s, this story of pathological stubbornness is based on a Chinese folktale. After the death of his wife, loner cabbage farmer Harry (Colm Meaney) randomly picks well-loved pub-owner George (Adrian Dunbar) as his enemy in order to reinvest his life with meaning. Harry's stutteringly shy son Gus (Cillian Murphy) is caught in the crossfire, desperately wanting to marry the latest girl (Kerry Condon) that matchmaker George has brought to town, but not wishing to cross his unpredictable, emotionally abusive father. As scandals erupt in their small town, Harry's once one-sided enmity is returned and trouble escalates in this tale of utter self-destruction.