WAY PAST explores the interplay between visible and hidden worlds, a recurring theme in her work. The film follows Oona, a young, teenage girl whose perception of reality blurs into an imagined realm where events are manipulated through radio interference and life-sized models.
Outline
Set in the countryside of McClean’s Northern Irish childhood, WAY PAST echoes the classic fairytale. Oona, a teenager, is sent by bus to collect shoes from the cobblers. On her return, she hitches a ride with a stranger who takes her on an unfamiliar path. Lost and frightened, Oona must find her own way home. Her unexpected journey, through an unfamiliar part of the countryside, brings her back to where she started, but forever changed. The film’s cyclical structure offers closure without resolution, drawing viewers back into Oona’s unsettling, dreamlike world. The film was shot on S16 and blown up to 35mm.
Sound
Sound is crucial in *WAY PAST*, linking different spaces and times. Radio static connects the real world to a parallel one controlled by a 'commander' in a model world. This auditory bridge, rather than visual cues, disorients the viewer and raises questions about the relationship between sound and image in cinema. Sounds are exaggerated throughout, enhancing tension and highlighting subtle movements, like the tightening of a spring when Oona nervously plays with the string of her package.
The Film Collective
WAY PAST was the debut production of OpenFire Films, a rural-based collective formed in Beragh, Co.Tyrone in 2001 by McClean, Comedian/actor Kevin McAleer, and Kate Wimpress. Focusing on experimental films WAY PAST was the collectives first fiction film shot in the area, set against the recognisable landscapes of Beragh, Omagh, and the surrounding countryside.
Way Past, 2004©
The film was lottery funded by Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission.
WAY PAST screened at:
2007 Space Kobo & Tomo, Tokyo, Japan.
2006 Casa Obscura, Montreal, Canada.
2004 Egisé International Arts Festival, Carlow, Ireland.
2004 The 3rd Commonwealth Film Festival, Manchester, England.
2004 8th Cinenygma Luxembourg International Film Festival, Luxembourg.
2004 10th Victoria Independent Film & Video Festival, British Colombia, Canada.
2003 New York Independent Film and Video Festival, USA
2003 23rd Amiens International Film Festival, France. Juryʼs Special Mention, ʻJeunes Auteur Européenʼ
2003 48th Cork International Film Festival, Ireland.
2003 Short Cuts Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
2003 Diversions Festival, Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland.
2003 3rd Belfast Film Festival, Northern Ireland. Runner-up, Orange Short Film Prize
It is available to view on the BFI website
