Brendan Canty’s Christy, written by Alan O’Gorman, appears to follows a common indie narrative trope of a teenager stuck on the wrong side of growing up, but this specific story offers an admirable shift, moving our expectation into a journey that’s more important, while always remaining within the world where not everyone ‘gets a chance’ – yet is all the better for it.

Fresh out of a detention centre/juvie in Cork, title-character Christy (portrayed by a superb Danny Power) is staying with his older brother Shane (fine work from Diarmuid Noyes) and his young family in their spare room, taking on painting jobs to earn some cash and aware that his social worker is trying to find himself somewhere new to live, but probably in a residential setup rather than a family, as he’s nearly 18-years old and will be out of ‘the system’ soon enough.

With pressure on Christy to start looking after himself, he doesn’t seem too worried about it, as he’s enjoying being back in his working class home and is self-confident enough to seem in control, but there’s corrupt people lingering around him, and brother Shane is well aware of what can go wrong, and wants to make sure he can do something better – so he’s trying to move Christy away from Cork, and is doing this secretly behind his back.

Day-to-day, Christy is hanging out on the local heath, eating spicy chicken, having a drink and a smoke. He has repressed anger, there’s no doubt, and even if self-assured some of his actions start making waves on the wrong side of the extended family, and suddenly they’re eager to recruit him for small-time criminal activity because, after all, what else can he have going for him in his future? And this is Shane’s fear, and the reason he doesn’t want his brother in Cork but by quietly pushing him away, is he leading him down the wrong path?

Like many a troubled tale, who will help him out of this? Will the character be psychologically strong enough to avoid a disastrous path? Well, that’s where Canty’s film turns the tables because Christy might not need a saviour, all he might need is a little encouragement, support and guidance right there in the place he knows as home – and this is the fun, charismatic side to the film, related to the friends and folks he meets or knows around his hometown, far from the darkness of life-wasting temptations.

What the film celebrates is characters, and there’s a wealth of honest, warm and funny people in his life, including Jamie Forde’s Robot and the rest of young actors, including more from the real-life Cork-based group Kabin Crew – who all excel – and it reminded me of a place not too dissimilar to where my late Nan used to live, where everyone has an opinion but also where life is truly being about exactly who you are, and that’s worth celebrating. And, in this setup amongst the entertaining chaos, Christy accidentally begins sharing his ability which he has learned during his unsettled life, and that’s the skill of hairdressing, and he’s consequentially taken on by a local stylists because he’s good at it – basically starting a career for himself, with a ready-made cliental from those who know him, and word of mouth about his genuine talent.

And this approach is the welcome spin on the expected, as we all endeavour to escape the edges of darkness, as it offers a message of hope. While Christy is also a comment on the class system, and what many see but don’t always know or necessarily try to comprehend, it also blends in a touch of romanticism and sadness, while retaining an absorbing charm that’s worth your time in a fine story. Also, stay through the credits for an extra hit of fun.

Christy is released in Ireland on 29 August, with the UK release from 5th September