Oma (film)

After the success of the 2002 Bloody Sunday film , depicting the death of 14 unarmed civilians in Derry in January 1972 , receiving the Golden Bear Berlin Film Festival award, director Paul Greengrass , called by some critics an “evil anti-British,” decided that Ome would raise such questions of concealing the truth and the unsuccessful quest for justice. On the advice of the leading actor in the above film, James Nesbitt , who met with the families of the victims of the attack, Greengrass, along with Pete Travis, as well as Greg Brenman and Ed Guiney, took up the film adaptation ^[1] . The film crew spent more than two years in consultation with the families of the victims of the victims for a documentary depiction of the events and their grief. The main street of the city's market was recreated in Navan , near Dublin , to avoid interference with the lives of survivors in Om. But the long scenes recreating Oma’s peaceful summer morning with birdsong and children's laughter were met by the intense silence of their families. Channel 4 Executive Director Mark Thompson said he is more proud of this film than any other program made on the channel over the past few years ^[2] .

In early May 2004, a closed screening was held, after which the relatives of the victims left the room with tears in their eyes. According to Godfrey Wilson, whose teenage daughter Lorraine was among the victims of the explosion, the film “showed all the events leading up to the time of the bomb, and it was heartbreaking to see the young actress playing our daughter laughing and joking with her friends just before the explosion. It was just as it was. Everyone is happy and friendly ” ^[3] . On May 22, the television movie was shown on RTÉ in Ireland ^{[4] [5]} , and on May 27 on Channel 4 in the UK ^[2] . The screening took place on September 12, 2004 at the Toronto Film Festival , winning the “Discovery Award” ^[6] , then at the San Sebastian ^[7] , and later in Italy, France, Canada, Argentina, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg ^[8] . In the award " Irish Film & Television Academy The film received awards for Best Irish Film and Best Actor and was nominated for five more awards. ^[9] In 2005, the film received the British Academy Television Awards for Best Drama Television Film ^[10] .

The story of courage and optimism in the face of a human tragedy unfolds in the life of a mechanic Michael Gallagher ( Gerard McSorley ) and his wife Patsy ( Michelle Forbes ), whose 21-year-old son Aidan ( Paul Kelly ) was killed in a car bomb after going to a jeans store 15 August 1998 , hosted in Omé in Northern Ireland , killing 31 people. ^[11]

After trying various ways to cope with grief, they quarreled, but in the end, Gallagher created Oma's support and self-help group, which included Catholics and Protestants, with the goal of achieving justice for their dead relatives, which was a turning point in their unity. Deciding not to let his neighbors suffer the same grim fate, Gallagher challenged the government’s official stance on the issue of terrorism ^[12] , starting to meet with Sinn Fein leader Jerry Adams to establish the facts, which ultimately led to the publication in December 2001 the report of the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman , Nuala O'Loan ( Brenda Fricker ), who found that the victims, their families, and Om’s residents were summed up by the poor work of the Chief Constable.

The film ends with Judy Miller 's song “Broken Things,” performed by Juliet Turner at the memorial in memory of the victims of the explosion.

As Peter Stanford of The Guardian said , the film was shot with historical accuracy, right down to the restoration of license plates on a car, and the real Michael Gallagher remarked that “in the end, this film was not made for the victims, but for a wider community with in order to tell them that terrorism really carries grief and a desire to achieve justice. If this message is received, the film can be considered successful ” ^[1] . He also noted that:

The film was very painful to watch, but I'm proud of it. Ninety-nine percent of families actively involved in the search for justice collaborated with the film. We are authorized from the victims, and this film shows our struggle for peace over the past five years, and that we have not seen any evidence anywhere that there are any lessons learned from Ohm. The public should know that this could happen again tomorrow.

Original text

The film was extremely painful to watch but I am proud of it. Ninety-nine per cent of the families actively involved in the search for justice cooperated with the film. We have empowered ourselves as victims and this film shows the wider world our struggle over the last five years. We have seen no evidence anywhere that there have been any lessons learnt from Omagh; the public should know that. It could happen again tomorrow. ^[2]

However, some eyewitnesses to the tragedy spoke out against the film, as it “can tear apart old wounds” ^[13] , as did the Rev. Ian Mairs from the Forum of Om Churches ^[2] .

Scott Fundas in his article in Variety , speaking about the plot of the film, noted that

Director Pete Travis displays these scenes with remarkable credibility and breathtaking geographical meanings, so the viewer quickly realizes what's what. In a stunning confusion, the local police inform the informant that the explosion is about to take place, but ultimately changes its route in such a way that pedestrians actually become closer to the location of the bomb. The explosion turns the streets into an opaque place of massacre, dotted with crumbled bricks and torn limbs - images that closely resemble those widely broadcast at press events.

Original text

Director Pete Travis maps these scenes out with remarkable verisimilitude and an immersive sense of geography, so that the audience quickly understands the lay of the land. In a mind-boggling snafu, local police are alerted by an informant that a bombing is about to take place, yet end up rerouting Omagh traffic in a way that actually herds pedestrians closer to the location of the bomb. The explosion turns the streets into an opaque battlefield of carnage, dotted by ramparts of blasted brick and severed limbs - images that powerfully resemble those of widely broadcast news footage of the event. ^[7]

• Oma on the Internet Movie Database
• Oma on the Rotten Tomatoes website