Baltimore

Imogen Poots encapsulates the rage of the late Rose Dugdale in a slow-burn drama by Joe Lawlor and Christine Malloy.

Heiress Rose Dugdale died aged 82 on 18 March 2024 and is best known for her contributions to the efforts of the IRA in acting towards an Irish republic. By orchestrating an art heist worth £8 million, Dugdale stole one of two Vermeer paintings owned by private collectors: Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid. In the cinematic tale of that heist, Baltimore coincidentally takes on a new layer, acting as a timely in-memoriam.

Beneath the genre of slow-burn drama, closely associated with the filmmakers Joe Lawlor and Christine Malloy (also known as the Desperate Optimists), the film presents the debutante character distantly without aligning itself with her politics. Instead, she serves as a mere representation for the viewers to form their perceptions of morality based on Dugdale’s decision-making.

The film, known as Baltimore or Rose’s Game under its American title, serves as a springboard for the audience. It presents an aspect of Irish and British social tension history that has been overlooked until Dugdale’s passing. The timeliness of its release allows the curious ones to explore Dugdale’s life beyond the film’s 90-minute runtime.

The movie’s non-linear narrative jumps back and forth between the planning stage, the heist, and the aftermath. The directors try to show the main character’s vulnerability and frustration towards the socio-political landscape. Still, these glimpses are fragmented and don’t give the audience enough time to understand her behaviour fully.

Although a drama, Baltimore’s lingering shots for tension are impressively executed. The scene where Dugdale, framed with a gun in hand, ready to kill an older man, is haunting. The unspoken acceptance from her potential victim is gut-wrenching, and the shots are hesitant to cut away. It feels as though their reluctance alludes to a suspenseful, dramatic revelation undercutting her plans.

These moments are uncomfortably tense and feel closer to the cushion-squeezing fear obtained from horror. Regardless of an audience’s alignment with the IRA or their motives, the fear of their collective actions and the courage to be someone at its epicentre is frightening.

Despite this, the film is likely to raise further questions with audiences after viewing, and it’s only in their research that it is expected to prove itself. If you engage with the filmmakers’ work, you will notice their recurring themes of pausing and reflection. This can be seen in moments such as when Dugdale plans her manoeuvres for the IRA, and the filmmakers simultaneously present two alternate endings.

Audiences can meditate on their differences with Dugdale and the situation’s outcome. Whilst the ending of Dugdale’s heist is well-documented, could things have been different for her or between England and Ireland?

Baltimore is in UK cinemas from 22 March.