BLUE ROAD: THE EDNA O’BRIEN STORY

DOCUMENTARY | ENGLISH | 98 Min

In 1960, a young Irish woman named Edna O’Brien wrote a sexually frank debut novel, The  Country Girls. She became a literary sensation, writing for The New Yorker, delivering provocative interviews, and authoring screenplays.  

Her success enraged her writer husband and made her a pariah in her native Ireland, where her  books were banned and burned. She would make her home in London, where she conducted  numerous love affairs, hosted star-studded parties, and made and lost a fortune.  

In July 2024, Edna passed away and this film provides a final testimony from her, aged 93, as  she reflects upon her extraordinary life for filmmaker Sinéad O’Shea’s camera.  

Granting the director access to her personal journals — read aloud in the film by the Oscar nominated Irish actress Jessie Buckley — and with additional perspectives offered from Gabriel  Byrne, Walter Mosley and an array of renowned writers, Edna does not shy from any subject.  

Blue Road is as candid, dark, and enchanting as O’Brien’s wonderful novels. 

DIRECTOR Sinéad O’Shea
NARRATOR Jessie Buckley
PRODUCERS Claire McCabe, Sinéad O’Shea 
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Barbara Broccoli, Katie Holly 
COUNTRIES OF PRODUCTION Ireland, UK

SCREENINGS + EVENTS

FROM MAY 30

The Garden Cinema, London
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Towner Eastbourne 
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Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton 
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Royal Spa, Leamington 
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FROM JUNE 6

The Rex, Berkhamsted
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Trinity Arts Centre, Gainsborough
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Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough 
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FROM JUNE 13

The Odyssey, St Albans
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Light House Cinema, Poole
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Maltings Cinema at Berwick Barracks, Berwick-upon-Tweed
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MAC, Birmingham 
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Chichester Cinema at new Park
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Ramsgate Community Cinema
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The Birks, Aberfeldy Scotland
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