In the Irish film "Christy", director Brendan Canty's feature debut, we follow a lonely and impetuous teenager on the threshold of adulthood who is looking for his place in society. After the untimely death of his mother, Christy stays with various foster families, with whom he does not stay long. Already after the opening scene in which Christy is involved in a fight, he has to leave the temporary accommodation once again.

The film was shot in a working-class district on the outskirts of the Irish industrial city of Cork. The gloomy and windy Irish weather is in harmony with the unsightly houses and dreary everyday life of the inhabitants. For a while, Christy is allowed to stay with his half-brother Shane, who himself has been through a similar journey growing up, but who in the meantime leads an orderly family life. There are visible tensions between the brothers, although hidden brotherly love can be felt several times through the film. Shane takes Christy to his painting job and tries to find him a new foster parent, but the possibilities are dwindling, as Christy turns eighteen soon. Christy isolates, struggling with states of impulsivity and discomfort.

The protagonists, who mostly belong to the working class, are constantly balancing on the edge - between precarious work and unemployment, and a further economic downturn. Some of them find their way out by going to Dublin or in a criminal milieu that often appears as the easiest solution in a given situation. Christy's environment plays an important role in his growing up and finding a place in the community. Among others, Shane's wife - a young mother who wins Christy's trust. Also a former friend of Christy's mother, Pauline, who discovers his hairdressing talent, and a group of minors who kill time in a nearby meadow, rapping verses and collecting waste for the upcoming fire festival. The greyscale of the environment is well balanced with a diversity of characters, a mix of electronic music (Daithi) and Irish hip-hop (Hazey Haze, Strange Boy, Kabin Crew), and humorous episodes. Young actors, mostly non-professionals, led by Daniel Power in the role of Christy, fit perfectly into the film with their authentic acting and local slang. They indirectly bring viewers closer to their everyday life and lifestyle. In this seemingly simple and peaceful, but at times also dangerous environment, Christy anticipates a brighter future and finds that part of the past that he has been missing.

In "Christy", we are shown that there aren't too many differences between the old industrial-capitalist and the new neoliberal system for the working class. In the wake of Margaret Thatcher's famous statement that society as such does not exist, we are fortunately shown the opposite - society and community do exist and as such have the strength but also the responsibility to help.