Kieron J. Walsh's "Skintown," which won at the Edinburgh Film Festival, is set in Enniskillen in 1994 as the IRA ceasefire takes hold. The film centers on Vinny, a 23-year-old who wants to leave the town, and his best friend Jonty, a raver who is content to have a good time.
When Vinny and Jonty become involved in a scheme to sell ecstasy stolen from a loyalist paramilitary group, the friends see an opportunity to make money. Vinny is motivated by a desire to escape Enniskillen, though he is close to his mother, a paramedic, and harbors unrequited feelings for a woman named Eileen. Jonty works with Vinny at a local pizzeria.
The screenplay, adapted by Enniskillen native Ciarán McMenamin from his 2018 novel, draws on observations about local life during the period. The film includes characters such as a British soldier from Manchester deployed to Northern Ireland and various townspeople navigating the region's religious and political divides.
The film avoids assigning blame to particular sides of the conflict, instead focusing on ordinary residents going about their lives during a period internationally known for violence. The story culminates in an "inevitable tragedy" that undercuts moments of idealism elsewhere in the film.
