I have heard some comparisons between Omagh and Bloody Sunday: Paul Greengrass, realistic portrayals, eye-level shots, shaky camera, subject matter (northern Ireland)...etc. But content and objective-wise, the two films could not be more different. Now I am not going into details with how they are different but in a nutshell: Bloody Sunday is more or less an account from someone looking by, and the story surrounding an authoritative figure and how he dealt with the crisis. Omagh however, is a true story of an ordinary citizen: middle aged mechanic, family-orientated, not a bother in the world.
So onto my actual thoughts of Omagh: For the many victims of the tragedy, families go through stages of sadness: accepting the truth, deal with the truth then somehow, move on. Justice is also what most if not all, look for. But the perception of justice may vary depending on how far you are willing to go. Gallagher for example, found out for himself that the mountain of bureaucracy was too high and steep to climb and as an ordinary citizen, it was simply impossible to go through ordinary channels to get answers. He also had questions of his own which involved choosing between going the distance and may or may not catch those responsible, OR doing what his family considered right and "move on", by supporting his wife and daughters and "be there for them". This emotional turmoil was portrayed with great effect and what I would consider a very realistic representation of a man struck by tragedy that very much came from nowhere. It was done with respect, and achieved the balance between subtly and over-the-top clichés.
As part of an audience, you cannot help but draw comparisons amongst those members of the Omagh Support Group. The radical and loud Laurence Rush, Stanley the level-headed father, and several others. That highlights how differently people react when they realize that truth and justice may very well be out of reach. Of course there are different reactions but ultimately Gallagher in a way decides to let it go somewhat and at the end, although declaring to continue investigation into the prosecution of those responsible; stepped back and moved on.
To this day, even with none of the suspects charged or prosecuted, I hope the victims' families have found the peace they once lost. Justice, unfortunately may not be reachable with money and power but peace is priceless, its simply something you find inside yourself and cannot be bought, bargained or sold. That, in my opinion, is what truly matters.
So onto my actual thoughts of Omagh: For the many victims of the tragedy, families go through stages of sadness: accepting the truth, deal with the truth then somehow, move on. Justice is also what most if not all, look for. But the perception of justice may vary depending on how far you are willing to go. Gallagher for example, found out for himself that the mountain of bureaucracy was too high and steep to climb and as an ordinary citizen, it was simply impossible to go through ordinary channels to get answers. He also had questions of his own which involved choosing between going the distance and may or may not catch those responsible, OR doing what his family considered right and "move on", by supporting his wife and daughters and "be there for them". This emotional turmoil was portrayed with great effect and what I would consider a very realistic representation of a man struck by tragedy that very much came from nowhere. It was done with respect, and achieved the balance between subtly and over-the-top clichés.
As part of an audience, you cannot help but draw comparisons amongst those members of the Omagh Support Group. The radical and loud Laurence Rush, Stanley the level-headed father, and several others. That highlights how differently people react when they realize that truth and justice may very well be out of reach. Of course there are different reactions but ultimately Gallagher in a way decides to let it go somewhat and at the end, although declaring to continue investigation into the prosecution of those responsible; stepped back and moved on.
To this day, even with none of the suspects charged or prosecuted, I hope the victims' families have found the peace they once lost. Justice, unfortunately may not be reachable with money and power but peace is priceless, its simply something you find inside yourself and cannot be bought, bargained or sold. That, in my opinion, is what truly matters.