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Roger Ebert likes Barley... but can we really count on North American distribution?

23 May 2006 at 09:03 PM | by Melty_Girl

[Note: This was originally published by cillianONLINE, which has been inactive since September 2006.]

The Wind That Shakes the Barley has gotten both positive and lukewarm reviews so far. Well-known critic Roger Ebert just added his voice to the chorus with his latest Cannes dispatch.

He confirms my general impression that Barley has been "warmly received" at Cannes, even as he notes that overall, other than Almodovar’s Volver, Barley, and a couple other films, so far, it's been "a fairly lackluster year."

Ebert sums up Barley with this: "For Ken Loach, who often deals with working-class people and political issues, this is an unblinking, involving, sad story of heroism that no one feels very good about."

Involving, but a sad ending about a painful, all-too-relevant subject... let's hope the North American distributors do not shy away. The New York Times noted on May 14th that even the Palme d'Or does not guarantee box office success or even a distributor.

But once again, and now from a very influential commentator, we have positive buzz about Cillian's performance. Ebert's last sentence about Barley reads, "Cillian Murphy could be a candidate for a best actor award." Let's hope that it happens!