Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series tomorrow, Tuesday, April 28: AFTER THE DANCE
Daisy Asquith’s personal investigation into family secrets debuted last month at Dublin. It previously screened as a work-in-progress at last year’s Sheffield.
Asquith’s mother, Pat, was conceived out of wedlock after a local dance in County Clare, Ireland, and, to prevent family embarrassment, was adopted by an English couple with the help of local nuns. Pat’s biological mother kept the episode a secret for decades. Even after Pat tracked her down, and met her half-siblings, she found herself shunned because of the stigma her very existence would bring to the family. Twenty years later, with Pat’s mother now dead, she sets out to County Clare with her daughter to reconnect with the more receptive siblings and, most importantly, to track down information on her mysterious father, Tom Browne. Despite all the time that’s passed, Asquith finds that the shame and fear that forced her grandmother’s desperate actions six decades ago still maintains its grip, rooted in Irish Catholicism. Still, resolute to find answers, the mother and daughter continue their quest over the objections of family members, lay claim to their heritage, and manage to track down a link to the Browne family that leads them on a journey across the ocean. While embracing the personal, Asquith has still managed to craft an engaging story about family and guilt that rings universally true.
what (not) to doc 