The Bright Side

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The Bright Side

2020

1h 40m

Comedy

Drama

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7 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

World-weary stand-up comedian Kate McLoughlin wants out. Her morbid prayers are answered in the form of a cancer diagnosis. For Kate, this is the perfect excuse. However, a last supper of dodgy shellfish and champagne puts paid to her overdose attempt and to placate her family she begrudgingly agrees to undergo treatment. Armed with staggering levels of cynicism and a plethora of blackly comic jokes, Kate gets off to a bad start with the four other women she encounters on the chemo ward, whose unsolictited friendships are destined to blow open her shut-down heart.

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Daryl MacDonald

InSession Film

The Bright Side is a beautiful meditation on loss and life. It may be cliched in its plotting, but the characterizations are what make it all worthwhile.

Rated: A

Apr 26, 2024

Full Review

Hilary A White

Sunday Independent (Ireland)

Only those with hearts of stone will be able to resist getting pulled along by The Bright Side's current.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 27, 2021

Full Review

Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

Slowly creeps up on you and, while avoiding most of the normal pitfalls, is surprisingly touching and powerful.

Aug 23, 2021

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Sarah McIntyre

RTÉ (Ireland)

A lightness of touch from Meehan, honest and vulnerable performances from the cast and a backbone of truthfulness make The Bright Side a truly memorable watch.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 20, 2021

Full Review

Rafaela Sales Ross

One Room With A View

Earnest, albeit unoriginal, The Bright Side is one of those films to be watched on a Sunday afternoon, tightly holding the hands of someone you love.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 20, 2021

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Emily Maskell

WeLoveCinema

A touching navigation of fear and friendship wrapped in a blanket of humble humour, The Bright Side is a charming Irish indie that charts the turbulent experience of this young woman and her breast cancer treatment.

Aug 18, 2021

Full Review

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Ruth Meehan

Director

Gemma-Leah Devereux

Actor

Siobhan Cullen

Actor

Karen Egan

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Barbara Brennan

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Derbhle Crotty

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Synopsis

World-weary stand-up comedian Kate McLoughlin wants out. Her morbid prayers are answered in the form of a cancer diagnosis. For Kate, this is the perfect excuse. However, a last supper of dodgy shellfish and champagne puts paid to her overdose attempt and to placate her family she begrudgingly agrees to undergo treatment. Armed with staggering levels of cynicism and a plethora of blackly comic jokes, Kate gets off to a bad start with the four other women she encounters on the chemo ward, whose unsolictited friendships are destined to blow open her shut-down heart.

Director: Ruth Meehan
Producer: Tony Deegan
Screenwriter: Jean Pasley, Ruth Meehan
Production Co: Irish Film Board
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: British English
Runtime: 1h 40m

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