Neil Jordan's psychological thriller is set amid the backdrop of the Northern Irish Troubles. Fergus is in the IRA. With his fellow terrorists he kidnaps Jody, a black English soldier. They hold him hostage in the hope of getting IRA prisoners released. Fergus and Jody develop a bond over time which is frowned upon by the other IRA members. Jody wants Fergus to seek out his girlfriend Dil to tell her he loved her after he dies. When the deadline expires Fergus takes Jody into the woods to kill him, but he can't do it. Jody runs away and is hit by a British army vehicle who are ironically coming to flush out the IRA from the house. Fergus gets away but the rest of his unit are seemingly killed. Now on the run from the IRA, Fergus lies low as Jimmy, a day labourer. He fulfils his promise to Jody. He seeks out Dil and finds her very attractive. She is a singer in a nightclub. The pair get closer.. so close they go to have sex and BAM!! Dil has male genitalia - she is a cross gendered woman. This comes as a bit of a shock to Fergus who pukes his guts up and to the audience who say: "It's a willy!" Trans-gendered issues were not very widely discussed back in the early 1990s. Of course had Dil whipped out her manhood now, we wouldn't be shocked, times have changed. But it was startling enough back in 1992 to become an iconic moment in British cinema.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
