THE RYAN GAME (DEBUT)

 

Usually when you see a music documentary, it's either about a star studded gig or it examines a band or artist at the peak of their powers.

Occasionally, a documentary slips out like 'Anvil!: The Story of Anvil' which bucks the trend by focusing on a band that doesn't make it.

Brendan J Byrne's documentary feature 'Debut' also takes a different approach.

'Debut' focuses on the Northern Irish singer songwriter Ryan McMullan but it captures him during the first bloom of his career.

It is an intimate portrait of an artist finding his way in a demanding and at times harsh industry.

But while it acknowledges the challenges singer songwriters face as they build a following, it is a gloriously uplifting film - revelling in his ability to command a live audience and conveying the thrill of a career on the cusp of superstardom.

Built around the recording of McMullan's debut album in a cottage in the stunning Rosses area of Donegal, we see the singer-songwriter being guided by his mentor Foy Vance, manager and drummer Paul 'Hammy' Hamilton and producer Eoin O'Callaghan.

Having built a profile as a live performer around the world, the pressure is on to deliver a barnstorming debut album.

McMullan, however, feels like a kid ready to show his parents he can ride his bike "without stabilisers".

The portrait Byrne paints is of a humble but quietly determined singer-songwriter.

Still amazed that he has made a career out of music, McMullan really grafts for his art.

In addition to the recording sessions that take place in the depth of winter at the stunning Cruit Island cottages which overlook the Atlantic, Sean Mullan and Mark Garrett's cameras capture him covering a lot of ground, gigging in the US, Australia, Italy and London.

Along the way, he rubs shoulders with Ed Sheeran, The Coronas and Snow Patrol who all champion him, giving him support slots on various Australian, European and North American tours.

But we also see him taking giant strides at home as an artist, joining Snow Patrol onstage at their triumphant Ward Park 3 gig and headlining his own concerts in Belfast's iconic Ulster Hall and Custom House Square.

Vance and Hamilton speak gushingly about their protégé and his songwriting skills.

Noting McMullan played hurling for his local GAA team in Portaferry, Vance says once he heard that he knew that while the Co Down singer songwriter had raw talent he also had the passion required to forge a great career.

Anyone who turns up every week to pluck a ball out of the air facing 15 other men with sticks without any financial reward has passion, he reckons.

Under the careful guidance of Vance, Hamilton and O'Callaghan, you get the sense that McMullan is being protected from the worst excesses of the music industry.

In Vance's opinion, the words "music" and "industry" do not sit easily beside each other and feel like an oxymoron.

And then, while the balloon sweeping McMullan to superstardom inflates to the point where he is poised to really make his mark in 2020 with the release of a new album and promotion on the summer festival circuit, the film catalogues how Covid deflates it all as lockdown is imposed - delaying his big moment.

Fortunately, McMullan has 'Debut' to fall back on which showcases impressively heartfelt songs like 'Bowie on the Radio,' 'Letting Go For A Little While,' 'Belfast City' and the showstopper 'Oh, Susannah'.

Byrne, whose 1981 Northern Irish hunger strike documentary '66 Days' received international acclaim in 2016, has a good eye for a striking image and a good ear for a telling turn of phrase.

When he is not capturing epic shots of McMullan on the Belfast hills or Donegal coast or him performing in stadia, arenas or clubs to rows of beaming smartphones, he is catching Ed Sheeran passing on advice or Hammy telling an amusing anecdote about the two of them watching Lauryn Hill at a festival in Australia.

Even though his moment of glory has been delayed, you feel watching 'Debut' that Ryan McMullan's time has surely come.

Clearly adored by his peers, Byrne's film, combined with McMullan's recent return to live performances, should help him pick up where he left off and get him the huge attention he deserves.

('Debut' screened at the Galway Film Fleadh on July 24, 2021, at the Docs Ireland Festival in Belfast on August 28, 2021 and goes on general release in Irish cinemas on September 3, 2021)

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