Sailm Nan Daoine film review: Deeply cathartic
An amiable documentary which shows infectious enthusiasm for Gaelic singing
Rob MacNeacail, son of the Scottish poet and songwriter Aonghas MacNeacail, is the subject of Jack Archer’s documentary Sailm Nan Daoine (Psalms Of The People). With a fine voice of his own, MacNeacail Jr remembers his late father by participating in a series of Gaelic psalm singing events, journeying from Carlops to Ireland and the Outer Hebrides; his journey provides the narrative structure for this aimable film.
The documentary’s strength is its fly-on-the-wall depiction of Rob working with various community groups. Talking about psalms is one thing but bringing them to life clearly has a deeply cathartic effect on all those involved, and infectious enthusiasm for liturgical Gaelic singing is what the film conveys effectively. Yet there’s sparse information about the meaning of the psalms themselves, or why such a tradition might find itself in danger. This documentary from Hopscotch Films stops short of offering incisive commentary about the precarious state of vital Gaelic heritage today; while each musical stop on MacNeacail’s journey is a pleasure to watch, the focus is frustratingly narrowed to just recording the performances.
Psalms Of The People hits Scottish cinemas during ongoing political debate about whether Screen Scotland should be part of the overall Creative Scotland arts remit. A lack of historical or socially-aware films requires some kind of change but shying away from potential controversy suggests that more artistic freedom is required if Scottish filmmaking voices aren’t to be left singing the same old song.
Sailm Nan Daoine is in cinemas from Friday 15 May.