Twice Shy
Iseult Casey and Shane Murray-Corcoran in Twice Shy

Irish Film Preview – Tom Ryan’s Twice Shy

Two years ago director Tom Ryan wowed Irish and international audiences with his debut feature film Trampoline. Made for a microscopic budget, the film marked the Tipperary native as a definite one to watch. He returns in 2016 with his second feature, Twice Shy, another small and intimate story that follows a young couple who embark on a road-­trip from Ireland to the UK as a result of an unplanned pregnancy.

Twice Shy stars Shane Murray Corcoran and Iseult Casey in the lead roles of Andy and Maggie. Over the course of the road­trip, the film uses flashbacks to build up their relationship and show how they ended up making the choice to terminate the pregnancy.

[quote title=”Shane Murray Corcoran – Andy”] The story is a window into the lives of two people who just happened to find themselves in this particular situation. It was great to be a part of something that is such an important issue.[/quote]

[quote title=”Isuelt Casey – Maggie”]I was really taken with Maggie when I first read the script and found myself laughing and cringing in disbelief at how much I could relate to her. She’s a messer and is always up to mischief but ultimately she’s really just a normal girl trying to do her best.[/quote]

The film benefits from a strong supporting cast, with Ardal O’ Hanlon, Pat Shortt, and TV stars Mary Conroy (Ros na Ru?n), and Paul Ronan (Love/Hate) all featuring. Veteran stars O’Hanlon and Shortt play the main characters’ fathers, with the script being written with the two in mind.

The film is produced by London-­based Fionn Greger. It was filmed in Tipperary, Dublin, and London during the summer of 2015 and the post­-production is almost complete. Greger and Ryan are hoping to launch Twice Shy at the festival circuit later this year before a wider cinema release.

With the campaign for the repeal of the 8th Amendment prominent in the news and in the minds of Irish people this promises to be a very timely film.