Photo Gallery

Director's Statement.

I made this film because I wanted to explore how people can lose their emotional freedom because of their origins.

I set the story in rural coastal Ireland because it is a rough place to survive and spawns some flinty, guarded people.

In “The Pier,” Larry McCarthy is a poor struggling fisherman who didn't have much but he had the love of a beautiful wife Rose and a young son Jack. His life was hard but he was content. However, his world was shattered when tragedy struck one night during a storm and Rose drowned.

Ever since childhood I have been fascinated by love and death and the great irony that both can inspire honest soul searching as well as complete denial.

The story explores the complicated dynamics of a father and son relationship as they stumble around trying to communicate everything from the simple daily interactions to their complicated past, but all that ever seems to actually get expressed is anger and confusion. They can't deal with reality until it's forced upon them.

I wanted to create honest characters that were real because I believe most people are good but struggle with speaking from the heart.

In “The Pier” it was important to me to stay honest and show humble people bravely facing their lives. I wanted to honor the part of the world I come from, a place which is generally glossed over by a cloud of vapid cliches in Hollywood movies.

“The Pier” was shot for a total budget of 100,000 Euros. Despite the obvious need for strict budgeting, I made exactly the film I wanted to make. I built sets from salvaged building materials and borrowed furniture for set decoration. In Ireland I found an old ruin of a house and traded construction work in exchange for use of the house as my main set which also doubled as housing for the crew and cast. I realize that every film is a challenge but I was very fortunate that the crew and cast and others who worked on this film were true artists themselves and it was always about the work and nothing else.

GERARD HURLEY, JUNE, 2011 SCHULL, COUNTY CORK, IRELAND

Production Stills of Crew and Cast

Leah Ryandoc