Perennial Light is a testament to Colin Hickey’s artistic evolution. It builds upon the filmmaker’s previous mesmerising efforts, showcasing a magnificent cinematic experience—an exceptional film from a tremendous filmmaker who continues to grow and surprise us with his artistic vision.

In coastal Ireland, a young boy makes the journey from childhood to adulthood, where the haunting memory of his best friend’s sudden death triggers a turbulent inner struggle. As he grapples with dark and existential thoughts, the young fisherman embarks on a quest for healing and redemption.

Telling a story from an entirely visual standpoint and having the audience fully understand the big and even the more delicate of moments is a skill most directors strive for. Here in Colin Hickey’s third feature film, Perennial Light, he has fully mastered that skill. In his previous two features, Where the Merrows Roam and The Evening Redness in the South, Hickey took a poetic cinematic art film focus narratively. We roved around in a nonlinear but beautiful fashion. Here, in Perennial Light, however, he has made his most straightforward approach narratively. We follow one journey all the way through, and he has been able to keep that same poetic cinematic painting approach and improve on it. The film’s pacing, for instance, is deliberately slow, allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves in the protagonist’s journey and to appreciate the beauty of the film’s visuals.

That is what is most exciting about him as a filmmaker, and with each film he makes, it seems as if his talent is ever-growing, continually evolving to bring us something even better. It is quite remarkable and a wonderful testament to how fearless he is in his abilities as a filmmaker. As with his first two films, you feel he is still only getting started, as if this is far from his final form. Goodness, it is bloody exciting to see and to know that what comes next will be another piece of excellence. 

Perennial Light demands your full attention. It is a film that envelops your senses, drawing you into the world of our characters with its immersive soundscape. The 80-minute runtime is filled with carefully crafted music by Juliet Martin and sounds from Mixer Mauricio Navarro, enhancing the meditative style that Hickey always strives to achieve.

Then we come to the visuals of Perennial Light; Hickey has gone for a monochromatic approach this time out, as if telling us a story of a memory long past. This is quite a bold move for him as he usually can grab colours in the most wonderful of ways due to the stillness of his filming. By giving him the challenge of going black and white as well as including animations of the seeming psyche of his character, you are pushed into a visual treat of a film. The monochromatic palette, for instance, enhances the sense of nostalgia and melancholy in the film, mirroring the protagonist’s emotional journey. 

There is a starkness present that hasn’t been there in previous versions, as if Hickey found the importance of the story far more vital to him and so forced the audience to have no distractions. Yet, he has been able to keep that intricate and purposeful nature of his imagery intact. There is also a looseness to his camera work and shot decisions that catch you as if he has randomly caught a moment of spontaneity and captured it. 

It feels like a film with a rough idea of where it is intended to go visually, and what we see in that relaxed filmmaking style is something special. However, what might surprise audiences unfamiliar with his work is how he removes all verbal audio from his film. We see characters talking to one another; however, we hear nothing. It’s another bold step he is giving his audience. A level of trust that only a few filmmakers would embark on. However, thanks to the visual work, we realise that we don’t need the words. We know what is being roughly said between these characters; again, the audience is forced to concentrate more. This unique approach, for instance, allows the audience to focus on the characters’ body language and facial expressions, deepening their understanding of the story.  

Perennial Light is another progression from Colin Hickey, a filmmaker who keeps finding ways to enhance his storytelling ability while keeping true to his artistic intentions. Not only is his latest film an impressive wonder, but you also know that there is so much more waiting to be unearthed from him as a filmmaker. Again we are given a glimpse of what an artist can do in the field of filmmaking. The film’s exploration of themes such as loss, memory, and redemption, for instance, resonates deeply with the audience, sparking profound discussions and personal reflections. They strike you, and importantly linger with you as a viewer.

★★★★★

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