Experiencing Interruptions?

Two For The Road

Amidst spontaneous travels around 1990s Ireland, Oscar finds himself navigating the true essence of adventure and chaos with his father, one spirited weekend away at a time.

  • Lochlainn McKenna
    Director
    Boxed Up
  • Lochlainn McKenna
    Writer
    Boxed Up
  • Grainne Dwyer
    Producer
  • Natalie Britton
    Producer
  • Ewan Morris
    Key Cast
    "Oscar"
  • Steve Wall
    Key Cast
    "Hugh"
    The English, Raised By Wolves, The Witcher, Vikings
  • Eoin McLoughlin
    Director of Photography
    The Ghost of Richard Harris, Metal Heart, Seedling
  • Ciara O'Donovan
    Production Designer
    Kissing Candice, Love Rosie
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 15, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    63,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Ireland
  • Country of Filming:
    Ireland
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    16mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Galway Film Fleadh
    Galway
    Ireland
    July 15, 2023
    World Premiere
    Best Drama + Best Cinematography
  • Newport Beach Film Festival
    Newport Beach
    United States
    October 14, 2023
    North American Premiere
    Best Narrative Short (Audience Award)
  • Kerry International Film Festival
    Killarney
    Ireland
    October 22, 2023
    Kerry
    Best Of Kerry
  • Cork Film Festival
    Cork
    Ireland
    November 11, 2023
    Cork Premiere
    Best In Cork
  • Dublin International Film Festival
    Dublin
    Ireland
    February 24, 2024
    Dublin Premiere
    Honourable Mention - Best Live Action Short Film + 2 x Discovery Awards (Lochlainn McKenna & Joe Robbins)
  • Garden State Film Festival
    New Jersey
    United States
    March 23, 2024
    East Coast Premiere
  • Irish Film & Television Awards
    Dublin
    Ireland
    April 20, 2024
    N/A
    Nomination - Best Live Action Short
Distribution Information
  • Network Ireland Television
    Sales Agent
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Lochlainn McKenna

Lochlainn McKenna is a director and writer from Cork City, Ireland. He is currently living and working out of London. McKenna has worked predominantly in advertising and has directed TV ads for brands such as Specsavers, Tesco, Guinness and Sky amongst many others.

He has directed music videos for the likes of Westlife and Keane and his music video for Daithí's 'In My Darkest Moments' was nominated for a UKMVA as well as winning him the ‘Best New Director’ Award at the prestigious Kinsale Shark Awards.

Narratively, he’s directed 3 short films. The last of which was a one shot break-up film called 'Boxed Up' - told from the perspective of a box as it traded hands between a couple as they parted ways for the final time.

In 2020 McKenna wrote a short story entitled ‘Guinness & Coke’ which was nominated for the RTÉ Francis McManus Short Story competition. The story was picked up by the
Department of Education and placed on the Irish Junior Certificate Curriculum as a comprehension, before now being converted into a film. The film, now entitled, 'Two For The Road', is his 3rd short film and is based on his own tumultuous weekends as a child with his alcoholic, vagabond father.

He’s currently working on developing that story into a book and, furthermore, a feature film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As someone who traditionally never took the time to sit down and write I was finally forced to put pen to paper through sheer boredom and ennui. I decide to start jotting down anecdotes from my atypical upbringing and realised that this was as good a place as any to start. 3 years on and with the film finally finished I can say that this first foray into personal filmmaking has been one of the most dizzying rollercoasters I’ve ever ridden.

My weekends with my father were packed to the brim with adventures, strangers, chaos, endless car-journeys, a superabundance of illegalities and to be honest, an awful lot of fun!

And, as I’ve slowly metamorphosed into a proper filmmaker I can finally see with some perspective the abnormality of it all and I understood now the importance of turning it into a film.

Not just for my own catharsis but also because the film itself is a vessel for people to ponder their own relationships with their parents. To look at the scenarios that have maybe enveloped them through their lives. The trauma that has perhaps shaped them as adults and, in fact, made them into people they should, actually, be quite proud of.

‘Two For The Road’ I think was as important for me to make as it might be for you to see. I think it explores the malleability of children and the influence our parents have on us and that love really can triumph… and that that, perhaps, isn’t always a good thing.

We shot the film on glorious 16mm Kodak stock on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork and for me the whole film looks and feels like a 90s memory. When you watch it, I hope that you can experience this memory with me but I also hope it invokes some memory in you and, who knows, you too might find yourself healing unexpectedly.