Trespass Against Us

Trespass Against Us
Directed by Adam Smith
Starring Michael Fassbender and Brendan Gleeson
Available on Blu-ray and DVD July 3rd, 2017
Watch on iTunes

by Joanna Orland

Michael Fassbender and Brendan Gleeson give strong performances in this otherwise flimsy film. Trespass Against Us follows the lives of a small group of Irish travellers, with Gleeson and Fassbender playing father and son. Colby Cutler (Gleeson) is a traveller through and through, while Chad Cutler (Fassbender) wants to distance himself from his past and familial ties. Wanting better for his own children, he sends them to school where they learn to read – while he never had that chance himself. He dreams of having an IT job rather than a life of petty crime. His father wants nothing more than to hold him back and keep him in the travelling family.

Tonally uneven, this film is fully carried by its leading men, notably Gleeson in a role where his character is assertively strong-willed. Fassbender is a little less believable in the traveller role, dressed nicely in a collared shirt and trousers – noted on by Colby to help illustrate Chad’s desire for a better life.

There isn’t much plot to Trespass Against Us, but rather a slice of life portrayal of the Cutler clan. Sadly this character drama lacks any real emotion, and through the thick Irish accents, it’s a bit tricky to understand most of the dialogue. And then there’s the weird quirky ending I don’t even begin to understand the motivation for.

Overall, there isn’t much to say about the film and not much to take away. Trespass Against Us can’t live by its performances alone.