‘Ready Or Not’ Review: Irish rites-of-passage debut is lively and vital

Dir: Claire Frances Byrne. Ireland. 2024. 83mins

What begins as a jaunty, coming of age romp gradually darkens into something more disturbing in Ready Or Not, Claire Frances Byrne’s feature debut which depicts an adolescence defined by predatory boys, vulnerable girls, peer pressure and sex without any notions of consent. The world of Mean Girls and Clueless ultimately fades into the realm of Catherine Breillat. Powerful themes and a cast of bright young talents should merit consideration from other festivals following a world premiere at Dublin.

A jaunty, coming of age romp gradually darkens into something more disturbing

Byrne has previously impressed with short films Sister This (2019) and Hello? (2021), and this feature reunites her with screenwriter Lynn Ruane, who previously wrote the short Waiting Day (2023) which Byrne produced. Set on a Dublin housing estate in 1998, Ready or Not initially focuses on the bonds of friendship between Katie (Ruby Conway Dunne), Danni (Molly Byrne) and Sarah (Alicia Weafer). Sarah is a year ahead of the other two which means, “she thought she was 14 going on 40”.

Summer stretches before them and teenage hormones have just started to kick in. Sex seems to be the one topic on everyone’s mind. The febrile mood is even starting to have an impact on Katie’s friendship with Steo (Alex Grendon). Best mates throughout their lives, the duo share a passion for football. Now, there is a niggling question of what would be lost if they became more than friends.

In its initial stages, Ready Or Not feels unremarkable, seemingly following a template from countless coming of age films. It is a life-changing summer in which the bonds of friendship will be tested, well-meaning parents are clueless about their kids and a taunting chorus of foul-mouthed girls provide a running commentary. So far, so familiar. Extensive voice-over narration from an older Katie (voiced by Jordanne Jones) adds a layer of hindsight reflection in which she concludes: “I didn’t have a fucking clue.”

The lightweight mood is sustained until a party where an increasingly drunk Danni becomes the life and soul of the event. Inevitably, she winds up tired, emotional and alone in the toilet. Afterwards, she has little recall of what happened to her, but senses that It was something awful.

Byrne confidently handles the change of tone and makes it feel as if the audience has been complicit in accepting the fun and games mood that has previously prevailed. Katie faces her own moments of reckoning as she avoids the crude advances of Steo’s boorish brother Byrner (Lewis Brophy) but is charmed by the slightly older, sweet-talking David (Dane Whyte O’Hara). 

Lynn Ruane’s screenplay is far from subtle in places but it does hit home, conveying a sense of experience gained and friendships recalibrating in the light of changed lives. It also captures a moment of teenagers trying to figure out the adults they might become. It touches effectively on issues of education, ignorance, respect and double-standards. Girls who don’t have sex are labeled ‘frigid’; girls who do have sex are ‘sluts’. In Katie’s eyes, everything that happened has contributed to learning the rules of a game that were never written with girls in mind.

Veering between alarming and poignant, Ready Or Not is carried aloft by the efforts of a uniformly fine young cast, from Grendon’s good-hearted but weak-willed Steo to Byrne’s exuberant, scene-stealing turn as Danni and Conway Dunne’s alert, vital presence as the very human Katie.