What was the point?

Excellent baiting! And in answer to your question: it's not for you.

I think it was meant to be dialectical, the simplemindedness of Padraic and Dominic versus the intellectualism/existentialism of Siobhan and Colm. The movie doesn't take either side, so the conclusions are left to the viewer to make.

I thought the cast and the acting was great in all, had it’s funny points.
I think the point of the story was hard to pinpoint and wasn’t obvious for most of the movie. But there is a point at the end of the movie where the two main cast make reference to the fighting (Irish civil war if I’m not mistaken) going on on the other island, made me think that the differences they were having with each other were similar to that of the conflict happening in Ireland at the time. That’s what I read it as being personally, but I think that it’s all up for interpretation. I totally agree the point you made the movie being ‘Oscar bait’ though.

You think this is Oscar bait material?Well thats lost on me.