A self-made promotional video from a bar in Enniskillen in Northern Ireland is generating enthusiastic reactions online. It’s about an old man, a pub and a dog – and the big topic of loneliness.
The touching Christmas video has no words at all. The artist Birdy sings crooningly about people helping people and in the film an old man closes his front door behind him. He lays flowers in the cemetery. On the way he tries to greet two girls who ignore him.
A man reading on a bench pulls up the newspaper to avoid eye contact. Then the old man enters Charlie’s Bar and initially sits alone at a table in front of the fireplace with his Guinness. But then a young couple’s dog jumps onto the bench next to them and wants to be petted. The young couple sits down and the three of them toast together.
Homemade Cell phone video
Alongside Missy the dog, Martin McManus is the main actor in the video. The 74-year-old is a member of an amateur theater group. He never dreamed that one day he would be able to appear in a real blockbuster: “It feels great. But to be honest, I’m not used to it. It’s crazy what’s been going on here for the last few days.”
The video shoot with the cell phone took three hours and cost around 700 pounds. No great technology, just an iPhone and a bunch of great people, says Megan Daley, the owner of dog Missy.
Address loneliness
Una Burns, third-generation owner of Charlie’s Bar, came up with the idea for the film because Christmas can also be a lonely time, she explains on the BBC: “Loneliness and isolation can get to you at Christmas. And I especially have it on “On the first holiday, I observed that people leave their empty apartments and come to the bar here. On the one hand, I wanted to point out this situation of loneliness and then on the other hand, that you can definitely find company here in Charlie’s Bar.”
Northern Ireland’s Enniskillen and Charlie’s Bar have now gained national fame thanks to the video. Immediately after the release, a young couple came with references to the film, says Burns. She also learned from visitors for the first time that the number of clicks was going through the roof. Enniskillen now even has a new famous selfie spot. People take photos of the red front door that the old man steps out of at the beginning of the video.
ARD London, tagesschau, December 1st, 2023 2:40 p.m