Fascination with Saipan represents last days of the old world and mourning what was lost

Fascination with Saipan represents last days of the old world and mourning what was lost

Ireland captain Roy Keane argues with manager Mick McCarthy in Saipan in May 2002. Photo: David Maher/Sportsfile

The plot of Saipan might not, on the surface, seem to offer rich material for a full-on movie.

The setting is a work trip, a quarter of a century ago. The plot centres on what is basically an argument that could have been an email. The stakes centre on when, exactly, Ireland will get knocked out of the World Cup. The denouement: one of the protagonists spends more time with his dog.