By Will Barber Taylor

Death and all it means to us can be a difficult subject to tackle in any film, especially a short one. Death can often be humorous depending on the way it is handled – we find as much light and laughter in bleak as in the truly life affirming. To get this balance right relies on a great deal of skill and flair from writers and directors. This is most certainly the case in The Death Notice of Eamonn McCarty which finds humour in the absurd but also shows how life, even at its bleakest point, can lead to moments of joy and finding purpose in life.

The wonderful interplay between Hannah Mamalis as Geraldine, desperate to make a positive impression on her first call and Michael McElhatton as the titular Eamonn McCarty, unable to process the reality of his shortened life span and the absurd way he has found out. McElhatton and Mamalis are able to transition effortlessly from comedy into the much more moving and poignant realisation as to what he should do with his remaining time. Both actors give the film its heart and soul and make it such a compelling watch.

Aaron Chalke’s sensitive and funny writing matches his inventive directing – he melts the phone call into Eamonn’s sitting room in order for the audience to see the interaction as if they are in the same room together. This gives a great degree of intimacy and allows us to see both McElhatton and Mamalis’ reactions, in particular it gives Mamalis the opportunity to show how she might react if they were in the same room together. Mamalis’ brilliant changing in the intonation of her voice as she moves from panicking over her first call being a potential failure to finding a way to comfort McCarty is beautifully done and is a perfect example of director and actor working in perfect sync.

The Death Notice of Eamonn McCarty is a beautifully elegiacal, funny examination of life and death and how even in the most annoying or distressing interactions we can find a bond and true human connection.