It Is in Us All

The directorial debut of Antonia Campell-Hughes, It Is in Us All follows Hamish (Cosmos Jarvis), a British businessman who trips to his late mother’s Irish hometown to see his aunt’s house, left for him in her inheritance. On the way there, he is involved in a violent car crash, which leaves him with severe injuries and takes the life of a teenager. Shaken by his close brush with death, Hamish stays in the village, unearthing secrets about his family and sparking a complicated friendship with 17-year-old Evan (Rhys Mannion), who also survived the fateful collision.

It Is in Us All is a film with a lot to say, using the central dynamic between Hamish and Evan to explore issues of trauma and identity along several socio-political axes. However, the pacing in the film’s first half is almost painfully slow, something that the often awkward and stilted dialogue doesn’t help with. While the narrative has many ideas it wants to grapple with, it sometimes feels like the film is juggling story beats without integrating them organically, making the slow pacing feel more frustrating than is ideal.

However, the movie’s cinematography makes up for those narrative deficits, with camera work that makes the most of the natural Irish landscapes to provide a dynamic, moody and engaging stage for the film’s messy and complex character work. The feature also benefits greatly from its capable cast, who help maintain the constant feeling of mounting tension simmering at the heart of the narrative. In particular, Jarvis does a fantastic job as Hamish, putting on a posh and aloof façade that constantly threatens to give way to the raw emotional wounds lying just under the surface. 

Overall, It Is in Us All is an ambitious directorial debut for Campell-Hughes, and while it struggles with pacing and scripting issues. it more or less sticks the landing in its explorations of trauma and the complexities of male identity on the back of its gorgeous cinematography, talented cast and strong direction, which all work together to create a distinctive and melancholic atmosphere.

Umar Ali

It Is In Us All is released nationwide on 23^rd September 2022.

Watch the trailer for It Is in Us All here: