Song of Granite

Slant Magazine by

It's funny that the film spends so much time caught up in Joe Heaney's feelings of displacement, because it produces a similar sensation in viewers by forgoing the work of narrative and character development in favor of a stark, elliptical style that becomes tiresome.

The New York Times by Ben Kenigsberg

Mr. Collins doesn’t shed light on what makes his subject tick, and the arty shards never cohere.

Screen International by Fionnuala Halligan

Layering the life of Irish folk singer Joe Heaney through a flickering lens and leaning on the natural, unadorned voice of the sean nos [old style] singer, this doc/feature hybrid film isn’t perfect, but it is quite perfectly-made.

Variety by Guy Lodge

Pat Collins’ echoing, elegiac evocation of the spirit of Irish sean nós singer Joe Heaney is most interested in his haunted vocal gift, letting the troubled life that weathered it show through only in glimmers between the gorgeous songs.

Los Angeles Times by Sheri Linden

More than the story of an individual, the film is a stirring tribute to endangered folk traditions.

The Hollywood Reporter by Stephen Dalton

Collins has crafted a mesmerizing modernist memorial to ancient Celtic traditions, even if its determinedly slow pace and diffuse narrative will likely leave some viewers unsatisfied.

IndieWire by Steve Greene

For an artist whose work in a proud and robust tradition carried a recognizable grace, Song of Granite is a stirring, solemn tribute.