Man, the summer of one’s eighteenth year is usually great, isn’t it? You’re graduated from high school, you have a few weeks before the next stage of your life begins… it’s an awesome time to make up for lost chances for high school before everything changes. Sure, it’s great enough for you American readers, but imagine if you could legally drink during that time, as eighteen year olds in Ireland can. Wouldn’t that make it even better… or set you up for disaster?
What Richard Did opens on Richard (Jack Reynor) and his friends having a beach party on the coast of Ireland during the summer after Richard’s graduation. Richard is clearly the ringleader of his crew of rugby players and, in many ways, the personification of the “Good Guy Greg” meme because he treats everyone fairly, calls parents to smooth things over, and even rescues younger girls from being taken advantage of. In other words, he’s the perfect guy. He even has a wonderful girlfriend, Lara (Roisin Murphy), and a plan for success that balances his college studies and his rugby schedule moving forward.
However, the title is obviously ominous — and Richard must do something significant enough to warrant the title of the film, right? Though we get about 45 minutes of Good Guy Greg, Richard eventually becomes suspicious of a situation regarding Lara and makes a major mistake that derails everything he planned for his future. The result is subtle filmmaking with Richard emotionally responding to the aftermath of what he did in a variety of ways.
What Richard Did is full of moral questions of guilt regarding accidents. It focuses on Richard trying to come terms with his guilt regarding what happens during the film. On one hand it’s very powerful, but on the other hand it’s pretty easy to think that Richard really didn’t do anything wrong and what he feels guilty about is a total accident. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t feel guilty, but I’d argue it has less of an effect on the audience.
Reynor is a newcomer and his performance is significantly moving to deserve praise, as is the performance by Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen as his father. However, I don’t think director Lenny Abrahamson or Malcolm Campbell, who adapted the novel, found what completely worked on screen. Aside from powerful performances — which are wonderful — I don’t think the story of What Richard Did makes as an interesting of a film as it likely does a novel. Though I haven’t read the novel, I imagine reading the text I could get into the minds of the characters. The movie audience doesn’t really get that same here just by watching.
As a result, What Richard Did doesn’t strike as hard as it could. While it is emotional and cerebral, it doesn’t quite accomplish what it sets out for what it plans to do — at least as far as I can tell. It is subtle and slow — probably too slow for most audiences.
RATING: Despite great acting, the story might not be a good fit for film (6/10).
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