Town Of Strangers: Review

9th February 2023

What started out as one thing, turned into something totally different for director Treasa O’Brien. Looking to do an experimental movie about the changing face of Ireland due to immigration, O’Brien was encouraged and enthralled by the people that she met and how they all shared the same morals and values.

Each of them call Ireland their home despite coming from many different countries spanning the globe. Although their stories are wide and varied, O’Brien manages to show just how similar we really are.

Town of Strangers is a documentary which was spawned from director Treasa O’Brien and became something she probably never imagined, all because of the people that she met. Initially setting up auditions set up in the town of Gort for her experimental film, O’Brien lets the audience sit back and listen to the stories which brought them all to Ireland.

Most of their stories are tinged with a hint of tragedy due to either where they came from or their family issues, but their sense of belonging and a need to be settled is something that runs through all of them.

There are many different stories ranging from a family emigrating, a father becoming estranged from his family and a woman losing touch with her mother. Showing that they may well be A Town of Strangers, but together they have found home.

Somewhat refreshingly from other documentaries that may feature immigration, Town of Strangers doesn’t want to dwell on the oppressive issues that immigrants may face. Instead, showing how they are all the same in many ways may help the audience to empathise and relate to their stories. With immigration being an issue, which is often brought up by the right as a damaging effect on our countries, A Town of Strangers just shows people as humans and doesn’t do so with a heavy hand.

With the state of the world in the way that it is right now with many divides between race, gender, sexuality and even age, O’Brien’s documentary brings everything down to a human level and celebrates our commonality rather than our differences.

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