We Beg To Differ

***1/2

Reviewed by: Amber Wilkinson

We Beg To Differ
"Bradley brings loss and adrenaline rush forcefully together."

A large percentage of people probably had a go at it when they were young - on an abandoned aerodrome or a piece of waste ground - at its simplest, a handbrake turn that spins the car you're in at a momentary exhilarating speed.

There are name variations on the theme - donutting, drifting and in the part of Ireland where Ruairi Bradley's documentary short is filmed, diffing. Bradley succeeds more in the spirit of the sport than the framing. He and his cinematographer Daniel Sedgwick don't just make us observers of this escapist hobby but take us inside a car to give us a feel for it.

That's probably just as well, since many people's reaction to seeing diffing in action will be one of concern or, if they happen to live near a spot where this noisy and risky activity takes place, considerably less charitable emotions.

Some of those who have found a community in diffing explain why they have been drawn to it and how it has helped with their mental health. This is such a short snapshot, however, that there's little time to flesh things out fully - names on a memoriam wall left hanging in melancholy, unexplained. Bradley brings loss and adrenaline rush forcefully together in his consideration of a subject that would certainly be more than capable of sustaining a longer length investigation.

Reviewed on: 10 Jan 2025
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Exploration of the car hobby of 'diffing' and its attraction to those who participate

Director: Ruairi Bradley

Year: 2024

Runtime: 12 minutes

Country: Ireland

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