• Director(s)

    Sinéad O'Shea

  • Production Year

    2024

  • Release date

    18/04/2025

  • Genre(s)

    Documentary

  • Approx. running minutes

    100m

  • Cast

    Jessie Buckley, Declan Conlon

Film

Blue Road - The Edna O'Brien Story

violence, language, references to domestic abuse, sex, drugs, suicide

This British documentary explores the life and controversial career of groundbreaking Irish writer Edna O'Brien, bringing her personal journals and novels to life. …

This British documentary explores the life and controversial career of groundbreaking Irish writer Edna O'Brien, bringing her personal journals and novels to life.

Content Advice(May contain spoilers)

violence

language

sex

discrimination

drugs

suicide and self-harm

sexual violence and sexual threat

theme

  • Director(s)

    Sinéad O'Shea

  • Production Year

    2024

  • Release date

    18/04/2025

  • Genre(s)

    Documentary

  • Approx. running minutes

    100m

  • Cast

    Jessie Buckley, Declan Conlon

violence, language, references to domestic abuse, sex, drugs, suicide
Classified Date:
12/03/2025
Version:
2D
Use:
Cinema
Distributor:
Modern Films
violence
There is real historical footage of an IRA bomb exploding in a crowded area and sight of people's injuries in the aftermath. References are made to the victims of terrorist attacks. A woman recalls the domestic abuse she endured at the hands of her husband, as well as her childhood experiences of her father being violent and threatening towards her and her mother. Re-enactments of fist fights occur.
language
Moderate bad language ('whore', 'dick') is accompanied by very mild terms such as 'God'.
sex
A woman's literary journals describe sexual details, such as oral sex, a woman losing her virginity and promiscuity. There is also a brief reference to sexual role play.
discrimination
A man makes homophobic and sexist comments towards his wife during a custody dispute. Frequent references are made to the sexism and misogyny a female author experienced throughout her life and career. There are descriptions of a senior male religious figure campaigning against female health products, such as tampons, espousing the belief that they would sexualise young girls. There is use of the discriminatory word 'cripple'.
drugs
There is a detailed visual and verbal description of a woman's experience taking acid and the hallucinations she had as a result.
suicide and self-harm
A woman describes in detail her plan to take her own life and how she was interrupted before she could carry out the attempt.
sexual violence and sexual threat
A newspaper headline references the rape of a 14 year old girl and a commentator describes how a writer was accused of 'pornifying' that and other incidents.
theme
A family is described as trying to force a woman to get an abortion after she gets pregnant out of wedlock. References are made to generational trauma. Footage from a woman's funeral is seen.
flashing/flickering lights
This work contains flashing images which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.
Classified Date:
04/04/2025
Version:
2D
Use:
Cinema
Distributor:
Modern Films

  • Classified date

    12/03/2025

  • Language

    English