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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, one of the most prominent matters of the heart is on the forefront of minds and markets – love. When someone thinks about love, death is probably not the first thing that pops into their mind. For Moya Doyle played by Olivia Tracey (The Island, Lucky You), however, Valentine’s Day will forevermore be a reminder of her late husband Enda. In Director Tamar Hoffs award-winning film, “Red Roses and Petrol”, the story of a family dealing with their grief after the passing of their father is told to viewers through the experience of each member’s relationship to the head of their family.
In the first few minutes of the film, viewers are introduced to the deceased patriarch Enda Doyle played by veteran actor, Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Father Stu, Halloween), as he records his final moments on tape. While explaining his diagnosis “a broken heart”, he collapses and dies from a heart attack. The remainder of the film introduces Enda’s wife and children as they deal with the passing of their husband and father through the retelling of personal memories with him and watching his many home videos.
Despite the darker nature of the story, the film manages to layer in an abundance of comedic relief. One scene in particular shows the youngest Johnny Doyle played by Max Beesley (Glitter, Hotel Babylon) snorting his father’s ashes thinking they are cocaine. Despite the humor, the film makes it evident that each member has significant trouble processing the passing. Johnny is filled with rage and resentment as he battles his memories of tough love from early childhood. For Medbh the middle child played by Heather Juergensen (Kissing Jessica Stein, The Haunted Mansion) , her inherited fiery personality and “sharp tongue” play out as echoes of Enda’s character. The grieving process for the eldest, Catherine played by Susan Lynch (Nora, Waking Kelly), is one of guilt as she defends herself for being the favorite of the three. In an attempt to keep the memory of her husband positive, Moya refuses to acknowledge the details of her own painful relationship with Enda until the final moments of the film upon which she can be seen burning a book he gifted to her.
The unfolding of each member’s grief and the different emotions they endure as they go through their respective processes are nothing more than exhibitions of love with nowhere to go. When someone passes, those close to them realize what they had and what they’ve lost. All the good and bad emotions are brought back up to the surface but at the end of the day, these are just different reflections of love, which is more than just a “warm romantic feeling” as Moya puts it.
