On paper and from the trailer, this story of a town hall where the locals come to dance that is threatened with closure by the church sounds a lot like the Irish version of Footloose.
But this is not just one town banning the youth of today from dancing to their thumping bass and banging tunes but a single flashpoint in the ongoing political restlessness in Ireland in the 1920's and 30's.
Despite authentic performances and production design that recreates the fashion and period setting, as one would expect from Loach, one might need more than a passing knowledge of their history of Irish politics to be sure to be sure of the wider story and characters motivations.
Jimmy's Hall is a fine piece of filmmaking but never is really to cut loose, footloose from the story of one man to represent a nation.
3 stars
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