Run & Jump

Run & Jump is a story of family devotion, disease and dysfunction: all things that can, at times, challenge even the best of us. The story unfolds initially with an unfocussed structure, but it becomes clear before long that the father of the family, Conor, has suffered a stroke and is re-adjusting to life with diminished abilities and their accompanying frustrations, supported by his wife Vanetia and young children.

The narrative is disturbed by interjections from a live-in observer, Dr. Fielding, who films situations of note on a portable video camera. His fly-on-the-wall perspective is reflected in the shifting camera techniques, which juxtapose videocamera footage with the standard technicolour and dolby. Tensions arise between Conor and Fielding, the presence of a doctor in the house exacerbating marriage issues and changing the family dynamic, as well as creating temptation between Vanetia and Fielding. Despite the strain on the family, ultimately this is a tender story told with heart, humour, and Irish charm. [Yasmin Ali]