Review of Alison Millar’s award winning documentary “Lyra”

I attended one of Queens Film Theaters' special screenings showcasing Lyra (Leer-rah), a beautiful and heartfelt doc, directed by BAFTA-winning current affairs filmmaker Alison Millar. Later in the evening there was a post-screening discussion where Alison was joined by Lyra’s sister - Nichola McKee Corner.

The documentary is intimate, as we get to hear Lyra’s voice all throughout from old voice recordings from her computer and phone. The Belfast filmmaker knew Lyra before she got involved in the project. Alison was a mentor and a friend to Mckee, that is why she felt compelled to tell this exact story. The film shows Lyra’s mother, Joan, and sister, and her partner, Sara Canning, sharing a tight loving bond with the writer until the fateful evening McKee went to the Creggan on Holy Thursday. 

In the documentary we really get a feel of who she was – from her passion for investigative journalism to her tragic death. Lyra wrote for several publications about the consequences of The Troubles – notably “Suicide of the Ceasefire Babies”, an article on teenage suicides linked to the conflict. At the time of her death, McKee was researching unsolved killings during the Troubles in Northern Ireland of the late 20th century. On 18 April 2019, McKee was shot during rioting in the Creggan area of Derry, NI. Mobile footage shows a masked gunman, believed to be a member of the New IRA, opening a fire with a handgun. All of this can be seen in the documentary. Raw emotion is captured throughout, from childhood tapes to videos of Lyra doing some of her investigative work.

The film ends with an audio clip. We can see a last glimpse of her typical self - “See if you want to do it? You go do it. And don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it.” I can definitely say it is one of the most powerful and moving documentaries I’ve seen to date. Even though the first 10 minutes are quite difficult, as it starts with her murder… it then goes back and shows what an inspiring individual she really was. We can see a mixture between beautifully created shots and pixelated/gritty footage, which perfectly tells McKee’s story. The documentary doesn’t shy away from difficult questions and topics, which are very reminiscent of Lyra and how she approached life – she was never afraid to knock on doors and ask the most difficult questions, because she wanted to look at the shadows and the debris of the past and present.



📽 Lyra can be seen in UK and Irish cinemas in November and December 2022.
It is scheduled to be broadcast on Channel 4 in 2023 📽

Film Review: Ellie Mihaylova 


Location: United Kingdom

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