Made by the Blinder and Cyprus Avenue films companies, Jump is a short but quality drama, set in Derry/Londonderry during New Year’s Eve celebrations, is a heady mix of comedy, tragedy, gangsterism and romance.
Greta, daughter of local gangster, Frank Feeny, can’t deal with being the offspring of a violent offender, who brutalised her own mother and drove her to an early demise through the use of drugs to escape her tortured existence.
Donning her fancy dress outfit of angel wings, instead of meeting up with her two friends, Dara and Marie, the main character, Greta, heads out to the Foyle Bridge where she intends to say goodbye to her cruel world.
While standing on the fence, staring into the icy waters of the Foyle, Greta meets Pearse Kelly. An exchange between them soon reveals that both their lives have intersected, through others, even though they themselves had never met.
Ingenious manipulation of the chronology of the story leads the viewer to question what is really happening.
The film is interspersed with laugh out loud comedic moments, such as the appearance of a five foot nothing bar man who characterises himself as “Big Jimmy”, only to be asked by one Frank’s hard men: ”Are you sure?”
There are moments of redemption too, when an unfortunate moment of brutality leads to one of Frank’s men changing his mind about a life of violence and intimidation.
Nichola Burley puts in a great performance, in the leading role, as the depressed and distracted Greta. Her overly excitable and irrational friend, Dara, played by Valene Kane, likewise excels herself, as the hapless 20-something who keeps walking into trouble.
Lalor Roddy, as Frank the gangster, is excellent as the menacing father figure who strikes fear into the hearts of his sidekicks, by violence and threats.
As a deserved winner of two International Film awards, Jump is a Northern Ireland film which intrigues, enthrals and entertains in equal measure.
It is currently available on BBC I Player, and comes thoroughly recommended.
