When it is announced that Jackie, the youngest, has died in a train accident, the friends come together to remember their friend by holding a long, epic Wake at a pub.
Kings / Trailer from High Point Media Group on Vimeo.
Certain moments in the movie really highlight the ties the six men still have with Ireland but also their knowledge that they now belong to England due to their craving for a better life or their ties to their family. The most telling scenes occur during Jackie’s Wake.
The friends mourn the loss of their friend through drink (alcohol). In fact, when Máirtín tells Git and Jap that he wants to stop drinking, Jap interprets this as Máirtín not caring enough about Jackie, “why on this day?” (Kings, 2007) Jap asks him. Through drinking, conflict occurs but conflict which brings about resolution. For example, through the Wake and their drinking, the friends are able to discuss the tension between Joe, the wealthiest among them, and the rest of the friends.
Joe has, essentially, turned his back on his Irish culture due to guilt for not only Jackie’s death but also for leaving his friends. First, he refuses to enter the Catholic Church holding Jackie’s funereal, instead choosing to sit outside in his expensive car in fear of facing Jackie’s father, Micil. He had promised he’d look after his son, who had once saved him from drowning.
Secondly, when finally meeting his friends at a pub, he first refuses to speak in Gaelic. Jap reminds Joe, “Always in Irish” (Kings, 2007).
Finally, Joe admits that he hires only Russian immigrants in construction work. His friends question about this and he explains that, “you can’t get a good Paddy” (Kings, 2007), lumping all Irish immigrants into one category.
Joe is revealed to be purposely turning his back from his friends and his culture. Though he acts somewhat surprised that his friends, Jap, Git, and Jackie, had no employment, Jackie and Git had visited his construction site before Jackie died, asking for work, however Joe refused to see them.
In the beginning, friendship and cultural heritage is seen as the most sacred values among this group, even beyond marriage and family. Martin, for example, speaks to his wife, Maggie, using English though he only uses Gaelic with the other five. He begins drinking again for Jackie’s wake, despite the fact that his alcoholism has led to arguments between Maggie and himself, suggestively even to the point of violence.
Family, however, has also led some of the men to stay in England.
Earlier in the movie, Shay, for example, wants to journey back to Ireland and tells Micil that he intends to, despite the fact that he will have to leave his wife and son. He is told by Micil, “family is where your home is” (Kings, 2007).
By the end of the movie, as the night at the pub continues on, the six friends reflect on their futures. Some still dream of returning to Ireland, including Git and Jap. Yet Shay tells them all that they will never be returning to Ireland, despite their wishes as, “England has given us everything…the only one who is going home is Jackie” (Kings, 2007).
This journey for a home, or an identity, was seen in The Speckled People, however, while Hugo came to the conclusion that he could make his own ‘home’, the men of this movie are unable to find themselves. It’s as if this movie showcases the alternative to Hugo’s resolution.
As the true circumstances surrounding Jackie’s death becomes clear, the friends come to the painful and bitter truth, they can’t give up London, despite the oppression they feel as Irish immigrants. They still have the hope that they may find themselves in a happy life, better than the poverty they left in Ireland. The only way to survive the aimless, uncertainty of their existence in London is to rely on their family and friends.
Works Cited
Collins, T. (Director). (2007). Kings [Film]. Ireland: Newgrange Pictures
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