All You Need is Death

Seems that it’s possible to trade and exploit anything. In All You Need is Death, couple folk singer Anna (Simone Collins) and partner Aleks (Charlie Maher) go around collecting, secretly recording old Irish folk songs, and then passing them on to what looks like an underworld trader or collector.

These old songs interest folk expert Agnes (Catherine Siggins) declaring them to be a modern alchemy, their existence turned into money, with the storytelling and historical elements relegated to mainly academic interest.

Storytelling isn’t high on Anna and Alek’s list as they track down Maggie Concannon, a folk singer long dead who was reputed to have sung the weirdest songs. Their travels take them to a village were asking for directions, half scare a man to death, later regretting he’d said anything.

The house is near ruin packed with puppets and other ephemera. Maggie’s only daughter Rita (Olwen Fouéré) is the guardian of the songs and tradition. As per tradition the songs are passed down by word of mouth through the female line. With only a son, Rita agrees to sing the song to Anna and Agnes – who got there first - on the condition it is never written down or recorded. Alexs is dismissed from the ritual.

From there the only thing predictable is that the song is going to create problems for the protagonists.
And in a sense that’s all that’s required. As aside from some grotesque imagery, complemented by a droning score mixed with traditional music, writer/director Paul Duane doesn’t stick to a conventional narrative – the film opens with an interview covering events the viewer has yet to see.

He concentrates on developing a sense of dread and unease with a slowburn approach that keeps the film, and viewer on an edge. The actors appear comfortable with this approach for the most part giving understated performances though there’s more flexibility for Fouéré given Rita is a hopeless alcoholic.

And which for the most part is very effective and genuinely unsettling, only for the film to squander that atmosphere to the altar of the weird and bloody towards the end.

Nevertheless it’s an assured debut fiction feature film from Duane who is primarily known for TV and documentaries.

All You Need Is Death had its UK premiere at Glasgow FrightFest 2024 and will be in UK cinemas from 19 April 2024.