Based upon the play of the same name by Gary Duggan, the indie Irish comedy Monged takes place over the course of a seriously drug-fueled weekend in Dublin. The film centers around Dave (Graham Earley), who owes seriously in debt to a psychotic drug dealer (Joe Rooney), Ray (Rex Ryan), a failed musician turned radio DJ who struggles with his sexuality and has just found out that his girlfriend, Linda (Clare Dunne), is pregnant, and Bernard (John Connors), a Milton-type socially awkward office worker with a complete inability to talk to women until he meets Nadja (Alicja Ayres). The three soon-to-be friends meet at a house party and begin what will be a weekend of drugs, alcohol and partying with, as one might expect, a variety of wild antics along the way.

Monged co-directed by Brian Quinn, David Prenderville and Rory Mullen, Monged is already having quite a bit of success on the film festival circuit with appearances at the Galway Film Fleadh, Kerry Film Festival, Cork Film Festival, and the Chicago Irish Film Festival among others.

Monged is a creation that comes out of the Filmbase MSc Digital Film Production course, a fact that should help you realize that the film features some mighty talented up-and-coming talent among both cast and crew. The film benefits from a lively, fun soundtrack and a cast that seems to get the vibe that the film really needs to work. The film's actual humor is a tad hit-and-miss, though that's more than a little bit due to the simple challenges of working on a modest, indie budget. Barry Dignam's script develops characters nicely and helps to give Monged quite a bit of substance underneath its style.

A promising effort that will entertain you quite nicely in the relatively short span of its 76-minute running time, Monged continues its run on the film festival circuit. If you get a chance, check it out.

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic