Rose Plays Julie (2021)
64%RT Audience Score: 31%
Awards & Nominations: 2 nominations
Rose Plays Julie uses a woman’s quest to know her biological parents as the foundation for an unsettling story that compellingly confounds expectations.
Rose Plays Julie” is a slow-burning thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. The film explores themes of identity and revenge, with a contemporary edge that is both impactful and unsettling. The performances are slippery and enigmatic, with Ann Skelly and Orla Brady perfectly cast in the central roles. While the ending may feel too neat for a story so tangled, the film is a triumph of mood-setting and aesthetics. Overall, “Rose Plays Julie” is a parent trap with teeth, and a must-watch for fans of the genre.
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, U-Drive Productions,
Distributor
Film Movement
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2021
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 40m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United Kingdom, Ireland
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 19, 2021 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 19, 2021
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Rose Plays Julie, Drama, 1h 40m, Ann Skelly, Orla Brady, Aidan Gillen, Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy, David Collins, written by Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy, Film Movement, limited release, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Mark Kermode, Observer, identity under duress, parent trap, revenge thriller, slow-burning, atmospheric, chilling, intense, violent, unsettling, disturbing, shocking revelation, biological parents, adoptive parents, veterinary science, Dublin, London, collision course, dark forces, fragile identity, domestic monsters, #MeToo-era, enigmatic visual construction, trio of terrific performances, perfect casting, excruciating interactions, superb acting, masterpiece of dread atmospherics
Worldwide gross: $61,221
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $66,584
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,064
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 7,261
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Orla Brady – Ellen
Aidan Gillen – Peter
Annabell Rickerby – Molly
Catherine Walker – Teresa
Joanne Crawford – Valerie
Director(s)
Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy
Writer(s)
Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy
Producer(s)
David Collins, Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (61) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (58) | Rotten (3)
It has its revelations, and as you watch the drama, you kind of know everything you need to know before it’s even revealed. That works really, really well, and I might be listening to that soundtrack on rotation.
September 21, 2021
Mark Kermode
Kermode & Mayo’s Film Review
TOP CRITIC
The domestic monsters of this story may have a #MeToo-era contemporary edge, but the underlying themes of what the film-makers call “identity under duress” are ancient and timeless.
September 19, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Occasionally frustrating, but worth getting frustrated about.
September 17, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Donald Clarke
Irish Times
TOP CRITIC
An arthouse character portrait segues into a moody revenge thriller in this stylish Irish tale about confronting the crimes of the past.
September 17, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Rose Plays Julie is impactful and unsettling, heightened by slippery performances and enigmatic visual construction.
September 16, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Kambole Campbell
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It’s still a parent trap, only this one has teeth.
September 15, 2021
Ryan Gilbey
New Statesman
TOP CRITIC
While the ending feels too neat for a story so tangled, it’s the type of tense drama that will have you occupying the edge of your seat for the duration.
March 3, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
James Luxford
City AM
Writer-directors Joe Lawlor and Christine Malloy have crafted a slow-burning thriller that is a triumph of mood-setting, aesthetics and a trio of terrific performances.
November 20, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
Rose’s interactions with Doyle are excruciating, as they’re supposed to be, and Gillen is superb as a man who, for all his bluster, may loathe himself as much as the two women do.
October 8, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Paul Whitington
Irish Independent
A study of identity, its construction, demolition and reconstruction, Rose Plays Julie zeroes in on perfect casting with the pairing of Ann Skelly and Orla Brady in the central roles.
October 8, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Harry Guerin
RTÉ (Ireland)
Quiet, intense, chilling and thrilling, this is a masterpiece of dread atmospherics.
October 7, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Steve Morrissey
Radio Times
The three leads are superb and the sum total is excellent.
September 24, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Aine O’Connor
Sunday Independent (Ireland)…
Plot
Rose, a veterinary student, sets out to confront her biological parents after years of searching for them, but her journey takes a dark turn when she uncovers a violent secret about her past in Rose Plays Julie.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film on Fresh Kernels.
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