Barnes & Noble

The fine art of storytelling takes center stage in this charming fantasy by director John Sayles. Set 1946, the film follows a young girl, Fiona (Jeni Courtney), who's sent to live with her grandparents on the Irish seacoast after the death of her mother. There she's told various family legends, including a particularly fanciful one about her younger brother, who was lost at sea as a baby when the clan departed the tiny island of Roan Inish. There's some breathtaking scenery in The Secret Of Roan Inish, but the real pleasure of the film is hearing these family stories spun. Sometimes accompanied by flashbacks, they create a completely enchanting atmosphere, nicely underscored with lush Irish music by Mason Daron. There are strong performances all around, including Eileen Colgan and Mick Lally as Fiona's almost-too-good-to-be-true grandparents. But it's Sayles' gracefully understated direction, his simple treatment of the film's flights of fantasy, and his obvious respect for oral traditions that make The Secret Of Roan Inish truly special. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

The magic of folklore forms the basis of this Irish tale by writer-director John Sayles. Adapted from the book Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry, the 1940s story is told from the point-of-view of Fiona (Jeni Courtney), a young girl sent to live with her grandparents in an Irish fishing town. Her grandfather weaves grand stories about the family's evacuation from their home on the tiny island of Roan Inish and about his great-great grandfather, who once cheated death at the hands of the unforgiving sea. As she meets other villagers, Fiona hears even more personal stories about an uncle who married a beautiful, part-human/ part-seal and about how the sea stole her baby brother during the departure from Roan Inish. Later, Fiona believes that she has found Jamie romping in the grass on Roan Inish, and she must convince the family of her vision. While Roan Inish has the feel of a family film, it shares with other Sayles works a character who learns history through storytelling, such as Sam Deeds in Lone Star (1996) and Dr. Fuentes in Men with Guns (1997). Sayles builds cohesive stories from multiple voices, showing the importance of oral history and indicating that learning the past can alter the future. Norm Schrager

Product Details

• UPC: 043396509290
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1), Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Pan & Scan, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 1:42:00
• Sales Rank: 925

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