Matt Aaron Krinsky’s All Saints Day drops us into a family mess that isn’t interested in easy answers or tidy hugs. It’s the kind of grounded drama where the pressure cooker of dysfunction has been simmering for decades, just waiting to explode.
It would be an understatement to say the Connolly family is dysfunctional. When siblings Kier, Ronan, Gabby, Mickey, and the youngest, Fiona, were kids, their single mother vanished without a trace—yet the last thing she told Ronan was that he was in charge and needed to keep the family together.
That didn’t turn out well. Decades later, the oldest son, Kier, is a lifelong alcoholic suffering from early-onset dementia and a failing liver. Ronan took his mother’s words to heart and sacrificed his happiness for the sake of the family. Essentially, he is the sole caretaker of Kier, who can be a verbally abusive a*****e. Gabby and Mickey took very different paths. They went to school. In fact, Mickey became a priest. Not wanting to endure Kier’s abuse, they never returned. Then there’s Fiona. Kier decided that this living situation wasn’t right for a young girl, so he gave her up to the foster care system without consulting his brothers.
After a severe episode with Kier, Mickey gets a call from Ronan telling him it’s time. Mickey books a flight from his parish in Los Angeles to be there. Kier is overjoyed that Mickey has returned, but his dementia causes him to revert to his old, disappointed ways. Soon, this gathering becomes a not-so-typical family reunion as Mickey brings a guest…Fiona. Immediately, Kier and Ronan recognize her as the bartender at the nearby pub, where she goes by the name Maria.
“…this gathering becomes a not-so-typical family reunion as Mickey brings a guest…Fiona.”
Matt Aaron Krinsky’s All Saints Day is not your typical Family Channel drama. Krinsky says it comes from a long-standing pull toward stories about relationships—especially messy family dynamics—and from witnessing “fractured” families up close (estrangement, survival stress, and people trying to do their best with what they’ve got). Its themes hit on gentrification, religious beliefs, and the immigrant experience in America.
Watching All Saints Day is like watching a pendulum swinging between love and betrayal. Each character wants to build a strong family bond, but every attempt to bring the family together is met with a “what about me?” or “what do you think I’ve been doing?” It’s a constant game of chess that ends in checkmate.
All Saints Day is a gritty, engaging drama by writer Julianne Homokay. It gets uncomfortable at times, and that’s why I’m here. The entire cast put in the work to tell an incredibly complicated story…and yes, it’s more complicated than you can imagine. It’s hard to call just one out, but every performance tries to remain grounded without ever heading into the realm of a Shakespearean-level tragedy.
After watching All Saints Day, I can’t help but think that I had it pretty good growing up. We all have our problems, but deep down, there is love. All Saints Day ultimately lands on something honest about the weird ways family can fail you and still matter.
For more information, visit the All Saints Day official website.
"…a constant game of chess that ends in checkmate."
