GOLD IN THE STREETS

Director:  Elizabeth Gill

Year of Release:  1997

One of Aidan’s earlier films, it is obvious from the start that ‘Gold in the Streets’ is an adaptation of a play. It comes across as a little ‘stagey’, with long conversational scenes, most of which play out indoors, in confined spaces, largely a rather grubby looking New York apartment. That is not to say that this is a bad film, I really like it, there is a warmth to the characters and the story keeps you engaged throughout.

Aidan plays ‘Paddy’ one of a group of young people who have moved from Ireland to New York to take advantage of higher pay rates, albeit whilst being illegal immigrants, there original work visas having long expired. It is the interaction between the characters that provides the basis for the drama, much of which takes place in an apartment Paddy shares with two cousins Owen and Des. The opposite flat is shared by three Irish girls, who bring a little bit of much needed guidance to the male chaos.

The film focuses on Liam, who at the start of the film has just travelled over to New York from Ireland and arrives at an Irish bar only to discover that the person who was supposed to be providing a roof over his head has moved on. He is introduced to Owen, who offers him a place in the apartment and a job,  The first part of the film finds Liam trying to adapt to his new surroundings and find his place within the group, whilst there are moments of humor, this is often tinged with melancholy and a longing to find somewhere to belong.  This is one of the themes of the film as characters discuss feeling homesick for Ireland whilst at the same time not wishing to return to as they no longer have a place there. This feeling of melancholy culminates in a tragic event towards the end of the film, which, in many cases seems inevitable, but does lead to some interesting questions – was it really an accident? From what has gone before it could be perceived either way.

A little niggle is, many of the actors are not Irish (Ian Hart, who plays Des is from Liverpool) although they handle to accent well enough, except Aidan is kind of exaggerating his own accent and it sounds false, which is ironic and a bit off putting! Other than that, this is heaven for any Aidan fan, he has a sweet romance with ‘Deirdre’ a rich American girl whose father Paddy works for as a gardener.  One of the highlights for me is that Aidan gets to sing, we should get more of this, he has a great singing voice.

This is an ensemble piece, and as such Aidan does not have an enormous amount of screen time but his character is sweet and endearing, something we don’t see enough of in Aidan’s later films.  All the characters in this film are easy to identify with and you care what happens to them, something sadly lacking in films these days.

At just over 90 minutes, the running time is perfect, and you are left wanting to spend more time with these likeable young people.  This is a film I would like even if Aidan wasn’t in it, and I highly recommend that you seek it out, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.