In discussing the project, Andrews notes two main influences sourced from his personal experience: growing up in Ireland between Catholic and Protestant families, and living under “the long shadow cast by family patriarchs.” What makes these dynamics so dangerous, especially for young men struggling to establish their place in this world, is that there is security and comfort in familiarity.
This speaks to the way these characters gravitate toward what they already know. In one of the calmer moments of the film, Jack and his father, Gary (Paul Ready), are waiting to unload their truck. When Jack asks Gary–“If you had the chance to leave here, would you?”–Gary has difficulty even grasping the question or the idea of living elsewhere. He eventually answers randomly: “Holland” or “Norfolk” due to the lack of hills. Jack repeats that Gary is free to choose anywhere in the whole world. “I can’t afford to go anywhere,” Gary states plainly. “But it’s a fantasy question,” Jack emphasizes. “Oh, right,” Gary says quietly, without offering a new answer.
