Ever get the feeling someone is talking about you?
"A Land without a Language is a Land without a Soul."
—>— Old Irish Proverb
"Ireland is the world's largest open air asylum"
—>— George Bernard Shaw
—>— Old Irish Proverb
"Ireland is the world's largest open air asylum"
—>— George Bernard Shaw
Na Fíorghael (Irish: Ultra Irish) is an Irish short film, 9 minutes long, created in 2005 and directed by Macdara Vallely. Three clients at a psychologist's office are growing suspicious of the receptionist's phone conversations with her friend Loretta, in which she appears to be insulting them. Unfortunately, they cannot be too sure as she is speaking in Irish, and their own Irish is not up to scratch. There is a nice little twist near the end.
Na Fíorghael can be viewed here
on the Irish Film Board's website.
Na Fíorghael provides examples of the following tropes:
- Bilingual Backfire: This ultimately happens after all three of the patients have learned enough Irish to rat out the receptionist. Of course, it was All According to Plan
- Here We Go Again!: Next time we see the receptionist, she is at the UN in New York, preparing for another call with Loretta.
- The Hyena: Loretta, again.
- The Loins Sleep Tonight: One of the married couple's reasons for coming to the office.
- National Stereotypes: At the UN, the three men waiting at the receptionist's include an Arab Oil Sheikh, a Texan cowboy, and an African dictator.
- The Reveal: The plan all along was to provoke people into learning Irish.
- Sassy Secretary: The receptionist. Goes way beyond "sassy" and into "wildly unprofessional." It's all an act.
- Sexy Secretary: Again, the receptionist. Even if she's saying nasty things about you.
- The Voice: Loretta, whose only appearance is as a mostly unintelligible voice on the telephone apart from the laughter.
