At some point in our life, we will all wish we could turn back time. Often something happens and we will sit and wonder what led us down this road. AONTAS, an Irish-language heist thriller from director Damien McCann, plays with this very concept. The title AONTAS, translates to “union,” which is fitting for a film that revolves around three women banding together for an unlikely crime. The film follows three grey-haired women, Mairéad (Carrie Crowley), her sister, Cáit (Brid Brennan), and Sheila (Eva-Jane Gaffney) as they attempt to rob a local credit union. But as with any great heist movie, things don’t go according to plan. The film opens in the chaotic aftermath where we see one woman is bloodied, someone else is being taken away in a body bag, and the town is buzzing with questions. What happened? How did everything go so wrong? To find the answers, McCann employs a storytelling method that makes AONTAS stand out: he tells the story in reverse.
The film plays like a suspenseful game of deduction, where our understanding of events shifts with each new reveal. Much like Christopher Nolan’s MEMENTO or Gaspar Noé’s IRREVERSIBLE, AONTAS unravels backwards while it peels away layers of mystery as we move further from the disastrous end and toward the motivations that set everything into motion. With each scene, we learn what led to the previous moment, which reveals pieces of the puzzle until, at last, we reach the true beginning. Definitely a bold narrative choice that helps engage the audience as we desperately want to know what led these three women to this crime. Beyond its unique structure, AONTAS also takes a hard look at life in a struggling rural Irish town. As we work our way back through the timeline, we learn that the failed robbery isn’t even the most suspicious event taking place. The town itself is filled to the brim with tension, economic hardships, personal losses, and longstanding grudges. It’s a place where desperation controls the inner-workings of the town, which makes Mairead and Sheila’s plan feel less like a reckless fantasy and more like an act of survival.
What makes AONTAS exceptional is how it takes a classic crime genre and reinvents it with a deeply personal, character-driven approach. The three women at the heart of the story each bring something unique to the film, but it’s Mairead and Cait who truly steal the show. Crowley (best known for THE QUIET GIRL) delivers a powerhouse performance as the mastermind behind the heist. She’s equal parts hardened and vulnerable as she plays a woman burdened by past regrets but determined to take control of her future. Her chemistry with Brennan’s Cait is electric, as the two estranged sisters are forced to work together under dire circumstances. Their scenes together provide a lot of that uncomfortable and staggering tension only felt between family members, and it’s through their fractured relationship that we see some of the film’s most emotional moments. While Mairead and Cait do most of the heavy lifting, Eva-Jane Gaffney’s Sheila is a crucial piece of the puzzle. Sheila’s beauty and apparent fragility make her seem like an unlikely accomplice, but as the story unfolds, we see just how deeply she’s entangled in this mess. And when an unexpected accident forces Cait into the mix as a last-minute replacement, the dynamics shift in fascinating ways. The film thrives on these character interactions and makes it much more than just a crime thriller. It’s a story about loyalty, loss, and the lengths people will go to for those they love.
McCann doesn’t just tell a heist story, but he builds a world around it and fills it with complicated characters, rich backstories, and a town that feels like it has a life of its own. Even if all the pieces don’t fit perfectly, the fun is in the game and watching the story unfold in reverse. At the center of the film, AONTAS is about change. Changing circumstances, changing relationships, and, of course, the desire to change time itself. The film’s final moments (or should we say first moments?) leave us thinking about the choices that led these women to this point. Would they do things differently if given the chance? Would any of us? While none of us can go back and rewrite our past, AONTAS gives us the next best thing as it provides an unpredictable journey through time, told with sharp wit, stellar performances, and a whole lot of family drama.
Tags: Brid Brennan, Carrie Crowley, christopher nolan, Damian McCann, Damien McCann, Eva-Jane Gaffney, Film Festivals, gaspar noe, Ireland, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, SBIFF
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