Written and directed by Lance Daly, Shóna is a gifted teenage fiddle player in Donegal, but is becoming disillusioned with the confines of both the music and her oppressive mother. Inspired by an anarchic troupe of travelling musicians and with her young brother Mickey in tow, Shóna begins a journey of self-discovery through the towns and counties of Ireland begins. Starring: Megan Nic Fhionnghaile, Aidan Gillen, Sarah Greene, Peter Coonan, Ann Skelly, Henrique Zaga, Cathal Coade Palmer, Dallán Woods, Francis O’Mahon, Sonny Daly, Labhrás Sonaí and Choilm Learraí.
Starting off strong with one of Trad’s highly impressive elements, the debut performance from Megan Nic Fhionnghaile. She is charming, defiant, spirited and immensely talented, she gives you everything you could need on the music side of the equation and a perfect portrayal for the coming of age side. She leads the film so effortlessly, the tone of her performance goes hand in hand with the humble, grounded directorial style from Lance Daly. It’s easy to see how Fhionnghaile’s own experiences would have created an even stronger connection to her character of Shóna, especially as the emotion and frustration of her performance is so convincing and touching.
She’s also supported by an excellent ensemble, while she’s undeniably the star of the show, everyone gets their moment. Aidan Gillen adds that touch of the unknown and enigmatic, Sarah Greene really taps into that strict, overbearing mother role but leaves that tiny crack for her character’s love of her kids to shine through. Ann Skelly has a terrific presence, there’s something hippie-esque to her character, while being compassionate and caring. Cathal Coade Palmer brings that classic puppy dog energy, and the chemistry he has with Fhionnghaile is endearing and nicely rocky. Dallán Woods as Mickey is a particular highlight, his performance is filled with youth but there’s an underlying, and surprising, emotional maturity that really elevates it.
Lance Daly creates a really interesting, captivating blend with the tones of Trad, it’s very earnest but it also has a sense of adventure. Having Shóna jump in headfirst with these curious, alluring strangers and begin her quest for inspiration and to break from the chains of tradition, has a lot of energy but it impressively never loses that grounded nature. Daly manages to add in these really great notes of comedy, conflict and a touch of oddity, providing a platform to be filled with such big personality. Something that’s paired so well with the music of the film, which is incredibly entertaining to watch, particularly the film’s final scene which is a genuinely lovely piece of cinema, painstakingly crafted.
Trad is joyous and so perfectly captures the unifying quality of trad music. It’s as if you blended Once with Moonrise Kingdom then filled it with such lively, enrapturing music, to create something unique yet relatable and grounded. It’s a fantastic basis to build a coming-of-age story around as it has that classic formula of trying to go against the grain and your parents’ expectations. Followed by the typical meeting of strangers who personify that anti-establishment vibe to help you explore and realise what you want, but it never feels familiar, it strongly forges its own path and uses that formula in a new, refreshing way. Megan Nic Fhionnghaile gives her all with this debut performance, she’s absolutely fantastic and you’ll quickly want to watch it again, so it will definitely be interesting to see what she does next.
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