Kimmerzan (1983 film)

Kimmerzan
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ciaran Loinsigh
Screenplay by	Ciaran Loinsigh
Produced by	Omar Nazaar Cathleen Grámhar
Starring	Aindreas Caimbeulach Gibson Melody
Cinematography	Lyle Barrach
Edited by	Thelma Roan
Production company	Artist Century
Distributed by	Highroad Film Distributors (Gaellicia) Coastal Films (International)
Release dates	5 September 1983 (1983-09-05) (Gaellicia) 13 June 1983 (1983-06-13) (International)
Running time	111 minutes
Country	Gaellicia
Language	Gaelic
Budget	3 million
Box office	15 million

Kimmerzan is a 1983 Gaellician historical war drama written and directed by Ciaran Loinsigh. The film stars Aindreas Caimbeulach and Gallambrian-Orinese actor Gibson Melody in his break-out role. The film follows a group of young men from the highlands of Gaellicia who form friendships playing football. When the Vrygian War breaks out, the boys enlist in the Gaellician Army and participate in the disastrous military campaign to take Vrygia. Thematically, the film illustrates imperial decline, the loss of innocence, and the pitfalls of nostalgia.

Kimmerzan provides a historically authentic portrayal of everyday life in the Occident in the early 20th century. Notably, scenes were shot on location on the actual battlefields of the Kimmerzan Cape region. During the Navarkokrateia period, it was difficult for foreign films to receive permission to film in Tagmatium.

Plot

In the village of Grianog in the highlands of Gaellicia, summer 1912, cowherd Ioan Deaghastar (Aindreas Caimbeulach) longs to leave the highlands and travel the world. Ioan and his childhood friends Micheál Mac a' Mhaighstir (Tomás Spillane) and twin brothers Pádraic and Conn Ó Súilleabháin (respectively Erich and Oliver Richie) call themselves the Magaidhanna, a play on Fianna, but with their supposed leader being the Ó Súilleabháin family's dairy cow Magaidh. Sinéad (Elinor Mac'Ill'Fhionndaig), a village merchant's daughter, has had a crush on Ioan for years, but he does not return her feelings.

The Magaidhanna challenge another group of young men, led by the local laird's son Aran (Michael Dornan), to a football match. Betting money on the game, the boys expect to win easily with Ioan's speed but are shocked when Ioan finds his match in Billy Dalio (Gibson Melody). The match ends in a draw. Afterward, Dalio reveals Aran paid him to play. The Magaidhanna learn that Dalio is a poor immigrant from Orioni who has found himself in the highlands. Ioan in particular, is drawn to Dalio and his travel stories and the pair become fast friends. The Magaidhanna learn of a football tournament the parish is hosting on the coast. They recruit Dalio and two others in hopes of winning the prize money. The seven hike cross-country until they reach the coastal town of Ferness, where the tournament is held.

The seven enter the tournament with Ioan and Billy as team captains. They wear uniforms made by Sinéad who has followed them, though she claims she is only looking for work. To their surprise, the boys find great success in the tournament, ultimately winning the cup and the prize money. On the eve of their victory, the residents of Ferness learn of the nation's declaration of war against Tagmatium. After a night of drinking, Billy is officially inducted into the Magaidhanna before the five agree to enlist in the Gaellician Army together.

Several months pass before the Magaidhanna, now enlisted in the 2nd Highland Regiment, return to Ferness. The men attend a Cèilidh where Ioan becomes smitten with Fiona (Anna Kaspian), a typist originally from Adrarus, while Billy begins a relationship with Sinéad. In April 1913, the regiment ships out for Tagmatium.

The regiment lands at a cove at night following the establishment of a beachhead by the an Mara. With little light, the Magaidhanna only catch glimpses of the bloody aftermath of the an Mara's assault. The divisional officers order the soldiers to work through the night to fortify the beachhead and dispose of the dead so that by the time the sun rises, the true cost of the marine assault is not known. The men settle into life at the cove, splitting their time between recuperating on the beach and manning the trenches on the cliff line. The most seen of the enemy are sporadic mortar fire on the cove and rifle fire over the tops of the trenches. Ioan and Billy exchange letters with their girlfriends in Ferness. Micheál receives two letters from Grianog. The first is a Dear John letter from his childhood sweetheart. The second is from a friend who confirms that Micheál's ex and one of the boys from their football team who did not enlist are engaged. As summer comes, soldiers swim in the sea and engage in "larking." Ioan and Billy spend many night watches together, conversing about life, their reasons for being there, and the actual purpose of the war.

In August, Conn is killed by a sniper while attempting to impress his fellow soldiers. The Magaidhanna are furious at Conn's death and hope for combat to avenge him. Pádraic describes a feeling of having lost a limb with the death of his brother. The men are energized and celebratory when they learn that their regiment will be transferred down the line. They mistakenly believe that Dyrrakion has been taken. They are disappointed when the regiment arrives at North Dyrrakion, a small fishing village unrelated to the port. Ioan and Billy encounter a traumatized Aran, now an cavalry officer, who recounts the devastation of a horse charge into machine guns and the taking of North Dyrrakion, where a miscommunication led to the navy shelling Gaellician positions. The Magaidhanna enjoy a brief reprieve at a cafe where they experience indifference from local Vrygians at their presence and the Gaellician campaign. The regiment is told to prepare for an assault, but it is called off moments before the start. Pádraic disobeys orders and climbs out of the trench into no man's land where he is killed by Tagmatine rifle fire.

The climax of the film occurs at the battle of the Kion. Billy is made a message runner due to his speed. In a brief scene, Sineád freezes in a conversation with Fiona and recounts the feeling of something horrible happening. Successive waves of Gaellicians attempt to assault Tagmatine positions while the regimental commanding officer has doubts. With the phone lines disabled, Billy relays messages between various officers who shirk responsibility and refuse to make a decision. Eventually, Billy receives the order to halt the attack by an officer at the Brigade headquarters. He arrives moments too late to stop the third wave. As Ioan crosses over the top of the trench, he sheds his equipment and runs as fast as possible. The film's last images are intercut closeups between the horrified faces of Billy, Sineád, and Ioan before the frame freezes on Ioan's body, about to go limp mid-stride backed by the sound of machine gun fire.

Cast

• Aindreas Caimbeulach as Ioan Deaghastar
• Gibson Melody as Billy Dalio
• Tomás Spillane as Micheál Mac a' Mhaighstir
• Erich Richie as Pádraic Ó Súilleabháin
• Oliver Richie as Conn Ó Súilleabháin
• Michael Dornan as Aran Mac Dubh-gall
• Elinor Mac'Ill'Fhionndaig as Sinéad Loganach
• Anna Kaspian as Fiona Cogaine

Production

Writer and director Ciaran Loinsigh first became interested in telling a story about the Vrygian war after a school trip to the west coast of Gaellicia. He recalls looking at the Oinops channel and realizing that the land beyond it had once been Gaellician yet was rarely mentioned in public discussion. He began working on a script about the war in his free time. As he became occupied with other matters, the script remained a rough draft for years. After the success of his first two films, Loinsigh was approached by Omar Nazaan and Cathleen Grámhar who were in the process of reviving the independent studio Artist Century. Loinsigh was asked if he had any ideas for his next film prompting him to share some of his drafts. Nazaan and Grámhar loved the script and offered a commission to Loinsigh to expand upon it.

Writing

Loinsigh spent most of his allotted time researching intensely. He visited archives, museums, and libraries to gain an understanding of life in prewar Gaellicia. Loinsigh read hundreds of letters and diary entries to gain a better understanding of a person's mindset and thoughts during the period. The screenplay's first draft was completed in 72 hours and posted by airmail to Artist Century from Loinsigh's hotel in the highlands. Speaking of the process of writing the first draft Loinsigh said:

Once I had done the research and understood the characters, the story just flowed out of me. I set up all the pieces over several months and then put them together in a matter of hours. It was a stressful experience really, but I felt that I couldn't start until I was able to understand the historical moment.

Nazaan and Grámhar responded with only minor revisions, but Loinsigh asked for additional time to return a second draft. At his own expense, the director traveled to the Vrygia region of Tagmatium. He wrote the second draft of the screenplay with a travel typewriter while traveling throughout Vrygia and in particular the former battlefields along the coast. The revision expanded the time in the story spent at war to half the running time while de-emphasizing combat scenes. Nazaar and Grámhar loved the new script and asked to put it into production at Artist Century. Loinsigh agreed on the condition that he could direct.

Casting

For the role of Ioan Deaghastar, director Ciaran Loinsigh wanted someone who could embody an archetypal Gelt. Producer Cathleen Grámhar introduced Loinsigh to actor Aindreas Caimbeulach, who was well-known in Gaellicia for his role as the love interest on the television series Amelia and as a frequent guest on the comedy sketch show Larkinville. Caimbeulach was an accomplished theater actor but had yet to do serious dramatic work on film. Caimbeulach connected to the script and saw it as an opportunity to transfer his work on stage to the screen. Loinsigh felt that Caimbeulach understood the role and what was needed for it. The director also appreciated Caimbeulach's working-class background.

The role of Billy Dalio was not explicitly written to be an Orinese immigrant. In the screenplay, Loinsigh only described Billy as an immigrant, leaving his exact nation of origin open for the casting. Loinsigh intended to have a member of the cast that would reflect the nation Gaellicia would become in the 20th century. The Actor Gibson Melody had learned to speak Meallángan (which is mutually intelligible with Gaelic) to work on the television program Outdoor Man in Gotneska. Melody sent an audition tape to a Gaellician casting agency, which then forwarded it to director Loinsigh. At Loinsigh's insistence, Melody was flown out to Gaellicia. After a screen test with Caimbeulach, Melody was cast as Billy. Loinsigh then rewrote the script to specify Billy Dalio's Orinese origin, with input from Melody.

The remaining cast were found through a combination of open auditions and recommendations.

Principal photography

Filming began in May of 1982 in the highland village of Glodden, standing in for Grianog. The highland cattle for the herding scenes at the film's beginning were lent to the film by local farmers on the condition that the actors demonstrate humane farming practices. The dairy cow of the Ó Súilleabháin family, Maigaidh, was played by the prize-winning cow at the local parish agricultural show.

Production then moved to the coastal town of Ferness. As the town's port had been destroyed in the Long War, shots showing the water were composed selectively. Scenes that required the port to be seen utilized matte paintings. For the football tournament scenes, the filmmakers brought in players from the local college to act as the other teams. Football player Edward an Fuireastal was brought on as a consultant for the tournament scenes. Director Ciaran Loinsigh and an Fuireastal reportedly frequently disagreed, as the former did not want any teams to appear too skillful or professional. Consultant an Fuireastal also had a small role as a tournament officiant.

The filmmakers experienced difficulty scouting for locations for the Vrygian scenes. Loinsigh found that no coastline within Gaellicia could adequately represent the Kimmerzan Cape. Though initially resistant, producer Cathleen Grámhar eventually agreed that there was no practical substitute for the real locations. Grámhar and Omar Nazaar, with the help of Gaellician foreign and culture ministry advisors, successfully lobbied the Tagmatine government to grant them filming permits in Vrygia. In 1982 Tagmatium was governed by the Admirals, and it was rare for foreign films, especially films dealing with matters related to politics or war, to be granted permits. The filmmakers highlighted the aspects of the screenplay critical of Gaellicia's Vrygian campaign and the honest portrayal of war.

Filming in Vrygia took around a month and a half, with most of the time spent on beaches and battlefields. It was felt that the village of North Dyrrakion had changed too much since its appearance in 1913, so instead, the production built a village exterior from scratch that matched North Dyrrakion in its 1913 appearance. Building a mockup of the village had the unintended benefit of allowing for more realistic and devastating battle damage. Locals played most of the background players and extras in the Vrygian scenes. Tagmatine extras playing Gaellician soldiers were taught military terms and basic phrases in Gaelic and split into "troops" of 6 to 18 with a single Gaellician actor assigned as their "sergeant."

Interior and additional trench scenes were filmed on sound stages and the backlot at Quay Studios in Cathures. Filming wrapped in July of 1982.

Cinematography and Editing

The opening shot of the film shows Ioan observing grazing cattle in the valley below in a visual allusion to the Romantic painting Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

Kimmerzan is the first of many collaborations between director Ciaran Loinsigh, cinematographer Lyle Barrach, and film editor Thelma Roan. Loinsigh and Roan deliberately constructed the movie so that the editing style would shift as it progressed. The film's beginning features many expansive, painting-like shot compositions that are allowed to linger for long periods. By the end of the film, especially in scenes involving violence, Roan employs a staccato borderline dadaist style. Loinsigh wanted the film to reflect the transition from the 19th century to the 20th, with Romanticism giving way to abstractionism. Roan likened the editing in war scenes to that of a machine gun. Rapid, industrial, and merciless. Color in highland scenes appears vibrant. During the filming of the soccer tournament sequences, special attention was paid to bring out color in the mud to contrast it with that of the beige trenches later. Barrach stated that he wanted the soccer games to feel like a more childlike imitation of the later war scenes. The cinematographer stated that he did this to emphasize the themes of the boys going from play to war.

Release and reception

The film began screening at film festivals throughout the summer of 1983 before opening to general release on September 1, 1983.