Canals and docks: 'Becoming Men'

The very centre of the city of Dublin has two sort of "outer" boundaries, both of them involving water: the Grand Canal (on the southside) and Royal Canal (on the northside). Boundaries that are sometimes physical and geographical, that also act as borderlines of dreams and aspirations in a way.

Here's a gem of a short film from 2013 about life in (literally in) the canals and docks over the years.

It's set during the long hot summer of 2013, as a working-class man looks back on his youth. A simple yet strong central idea, combining great cinematography, sound design and editing. I love this beautiful short film.

As Terry Fagan says in the voiceover:

"That was our adventure park, that was where we enjoyed ourselves, that’s where we grew up and we became men … you got really brave when the girls came around cos you didn't want to be seen as cowards but you'd wait for some fool to try it first. If he came up out of the water, then you knew it was OK … There'd be many a dream held on that canal bank, you know, cos people would be planning their lives, you know, what they're going to do and that, ‘We're gonna travel the world together’, ‘we’re gonna do this’ and ‘we’re gonna do that’, you’re gonna be something … "

What age were you when you finally realised your days of jumping into the canal were gone, and you stopped diving for girls?

And the credits...

Director: Ross Killeen; editor and original concept: Joe Rigby; music: "Bathtime for Lies" by Bantum. For full credits of the Motherland production crew see Vimeo.