RE-CREATION
Co-directors Jim Sheridan and David Merriman give Tribeca 2025 audiences a truly extraordinary viewing experience with RE-CREATION. Based on the failed attempt to convict a self-professed murderer in the Irish courts, Sheridan gathers forensics experts, police interviews, evidence, and a fictional jury to see what might have happened if history had played out differently. A spectacular cast assumes the roles of the barristers, the accused, and the lead witness. Sheridan digs into the questions of the case and the delicate nature of one person’s truth.
In 1996, French filmmaker Sophie Toscan Du Plantier arrived at her holiday home in Toormore, West Cork. A witness described a man in a long, dark coat following Sophie for two days. On the third morning, Sophie was found brutally murdered in the lane outside her home. Irish authorities investigated British journalist Ian Bailey. He never faced trial in Ireland despite being tried and convicted in absentia by the French government. It is considered one of Ireland’s most shocking unsolved crimes, and now I know why.
The jury is exceptional as they move through measured recall to furious shouting matches. Their diligence in tracking down evidence and looking at all sides gives me hope that jurors take their duties seriously. Jack Thornton’s editing is a feat. The choice to keep Krieps in the frame for longer than seems normal has a chilling effect. RE-CREATION is akin to live theatre. It is an improvisation session strapped to a ticking time bomb. The audience is the 13th jury member. Sheridan provides newsreel footage, newspaper clippings, video testimony, and audio recordings at the precise times we might feel lost. It is a real-time exploration of possibilities.
Colm Meaney plays Ian Bailey. He is weary and entirely silent. Meany speaks not a single word, but his presence is vital. Vicky Krieps plays the outlier juror #8. She elicits pure, unfiltered emotions by poking the bear and sewing doubt. Krieps is sometimes intentionally antagonistic to prove a point. This role adds to her long resume of chameleon roles. She is relentlessly compelling.
Jim Sheridan also plays Juror #1, serving as a guide and sounding board. Sheridan’s attention to detail is award-worthy. Going as far as to take the jury on a tour of the key locations in the investigation. It’s hard to discern where Sheridan lies on the guilty spectrum personally. His extensive knowledge never feels coercive. He and Merriman skillfully make a case for confusion and conflict, mirroring the state of the evidence.
This hybrid fact and fiction roleplay is intoxicating. True crime fans will eat it up. RE-CREATION is a physical manifestation of every podcast, thriller novel, and Dateline episode come to life. People would pay to participate in something this immersive. Gather all your armchair detectives and get ready to hold your breath. RE-CREATION is one of Tribeca 2025’s best films.
Director: Jim Sheridan, David Merriman
Producer: Fabrizio Maltese, Tina O’Reilly
Screenwriter: Jim Sheridan, David Merriman
Cinematographer: Carlo Thiel
Composer: Anna Rice
Editor: Jack Thornton
Executive Producer: Jim Sheridan
Associate Producer: Gráinne Carroll, Mark Ward
Line Producer: Solveig Harper
Production Designer: Christina Schaffer
Costume Design: Magdalena Labuz
Funding Partners: Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, Film Fund Luxembourg, Eurimages, Latido FIlms and Doha Film Institute
Sound Engineer: Carlo Thoss
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