Kings

“Some things a man shouldn't forget. His land, his language, and his friends” proclaims Jap in Irish Gaelic, amidst a crowd of Londoners. In 1977, six young Irishmen – Jap, Git, Máirtín, Jackie, Shay, and Joe – enthusiastically boarded a ferry bound for England. Along with generations of other Irish emigrants, they hoped to find prosperity in the neighboring country. Now, 30 years later, their dreams have hardly been fulfilled. Following Jackie's tragic death in a subway accident, the friends somberly reunite for his funeral. Poor, embittered drunkards, they have little to show for their years of hard work building London, a city in which they have never felt at home. Only Joe (Colm Meaney), a well-to-do businessman with a coke habit, has achieved any success. But no one knows whether he will dare to show his face after turning his back on his friends so many years ago. Tom Collins's KINGS, based on the acclaimed play “The Kings of Kilburn High Road,” tenderly explores notions of friendship, love, and nationhood as these aging men reflect on their troubled pasts. (In Irish Gaelic and English with English subtitles) – E.J.B.