Bad Day for the Cut

Director: Chris Baugh
Screenwriters: Chris Baugh, Brendan Mullin

Institute History

  • 2017 Sundance Film Festival

Description

Donal is a good man. He is a sturdy farmer who loves his aged mother. He values hard work. His word means something. He is loyal, focused, and tough. What he is not, under any circumstances, is someone to fuck with. So when Donal’s monastic existence as the good son is tragically upended, his justice is bloody and thorough.

Director Chris Baugh and his co-writer Brendan Mullin have created a film as deceptively simple as its hero. Set against the stark beauty of Northern Ireland, the story eschews cheap twists in favor of a slow and steady unveiling of the horrible truths hiding in plain sight. They’re aided by an able cast, especially lead actor Nigel O’Neill, whose performance is infused with the quiet rage of the overlooked.

They say good men are hard to find. Maybe it’s better that way.

— Jon Korn

Screening Details

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