Watch I, Dolours

I, Dolours is a compelling and thought-provoking documentary that tells the story of Dolours Price, a convicted IRA member who later became an outspoken critic of the organization she once served. The film takes the viewer on a gripping journey through Price's life, from her experiences growing up in a Republican family in Ireland, to her involvement in the IRA's bombing campaign in the 1970s, to her eventual disillusionment with the group and its methods.

The documentary is structured around an extensive interview with Price that was conducted by journalist Ed Moloney in 2010, a year before her death. This interview serves as the backbone of the film, providing an intimate and revealing window into Price's life and beliefs. Throughout the interview, Price is candid and unapologetic about her involvement in the IRA, describing in detail the bombings she helped plan and the people she helped to kill. She also offers insights into the political and social context of the Irish conflict, and the difficult choices that she and her fellow IRA members felt they had to make in order to achieve their goals.

But as the interview progresses, a more complex and conflicted picture of Price begins to emerge. She speaks openly about the toll that her involvement in the IRA took on her mental health, describing the nightmares and flashbacks that she suffered for years after she left the group. She also discusses her disillusionment with the IRA's leadership, whom she accuses of betraying the Republican cause by agreeing to a negotiated settlement with the British government in the 1990s.

Perhaps most poignantly, Price reflects on the impact that her own actions had on the lives of others, particularly the families of the people she helped to kill. She speaks about the guilt and remorse that she felt about her past, and the difficulty of coming to terms with the fact that she can never undo the harm that she caused.

Interspersed with the interview footage are archival materials, including news footage of the protests and violence that characterized the Irish conflict, as well as personal photographs and home movies from Price's own life. These materials help to contextualize Price's story within the broader history of the conflict, and to give a sense of the world that she inhabited.

Overall, I, Dolours is a powerful and moving documentary that sheds light on one woman's journey through a tumultuous and violent period in Irish history. It offers a nuanced and insightful perspective on the complexities of political violence, and the toll that it can take on those who participate in it. Through Price's story, the film challenges us to grapple with difficult questions about the nature of justice, the legacies of violence, and the possibility of redemption.

I, Dolours is a 2019 documentary with a runtime of 78 hours. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.1.