Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story screens at Adelaide Film Festival Sunday October 19 and Thursday October 23
‘I was born with this ability, and demon, to write. I was punished for it constantly.’ So begins Blue Road – The Edna O’Brien Story, a deeply personal and final reckoning from one of the great literary voices of the 20th and 21st centuries.
In 1960, Irish writer Edna O’Brien became a sensation with her debut novel The Country Girls, a bold, intimate exploration of female sexuality and agency. Banned in her home country and denounced from the pulpit, O’Brien’s work marked her as both a literary outlaw and a beloved figure of feminist rebellion.
Sinead O’Shea’s tender and spirited documentary assembles O’Brien’s final on-camera reflections, alongside archival footage, excerpts from her journals read by Irish actor Jessie Buckley, and tributes from friends and fellow writers. The result is a portrait as stylish, sharp and emotionally generous as O’Brien herself. From rural Ireland to London bohemia and global literary fame, Blue Road, is not just a tribute, but a last work in its own right – a lucid summation of a woman who lived, wrote and endured with fierce resolve and lyrical clarity.Screenings:
Sunday October 19 at 1pm at The Piccadilly Cinema
Thursday October 23 at 12.45pm at Palace Nova Eastend
Tickets and trailer here: Blue Road-The Edna O’Brien Story
Tinteán 