Derry Girls
2018
Original language: English
- comedy
- drama
The story
Amidst the political conflict of Northern Ireland in the 1990s, five secondary school students square off with the universal challenges of being a teenager.
What it’s like
Bright, warmly lit classrooms and cramped family kitchens in 1990s Derry, shot in a brisk, bustling sitcom style with plenty of medium close-ups, quick cutaways and mugging reaction shots, and a palette of school-uniform navy, tartan, pastel bedrooms and the grey-green of rain on the city. The soundtrack leans on nineties pop and rock, and the rhythm is fast and chatty, with punchlines landing in rapid succession. The vibe is affectionate, boisterous and bittersweet: a joyful comedy with a quiet undertow of the fear and checkpoints that shaped everyday life during the Troubles. It suits a comfort rewatch, a lazy weekend binge, or something to laugh at with friends. Violence is present but offstage and fleeting, mostly bombings, shootings and soldiers glimpsed on the news or in passing, with no gore and a few tense moments. Its heart is a tight group of teenage girls and their chaotic families, each arc about growing up, first crushes, fallings-out and making up. It is for people who want big-hearted, sharply written humour with warmth and a real sense of place.
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