The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
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98% of critics liked it
(42 reviews) -
84% of users liked it
(6,785 ratings)
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… More 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, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Sayles
- Written By
- John Sayles
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy
PG,
- In Theaters
- Feb 3, 1995 Wide
- Studio
- Samuel Goldwyn Films
Critic Reviews
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Bruce Diones, New Yorker
The rhythms are placid and the camerawork (by Haskell Wexler) is simple and unfussy. The film's a charm.
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Dennis Harvey, Variety
John Sayles' latest marks his entry into family-pic terrain, a crossing that draws pleasant but unexciting results.
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Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
Moving from passion fish to mystical seals, versatile filmmaker John Sayles' latest is a first-rate, all-ages fairy tale steeped in Irish folklore.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
This is all rather low-key and uninsistent, but the settings are gorgeous, and Haskell Wexler's cinematography makes the most of them.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Tales within tales, a subtle sense of economic and social realities, fine landscape photography and strong performances make for an engrossing, unusual fantasy.
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Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Mick Lally
as Hugh
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Eileen Colgan
as Tess
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John Lynch
as Tadhg
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Jeni Courtney
as Fiona
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Richard Sheridan
as Eamon
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Cillian Byrne
as Jamie
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Pat Slowey
as Priest
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Dave Duffy
as Jim
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Declan Hannigan
as Oldest brother
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Fergal McElherron
as Sean Michael
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Frankie McCafferty
as Tim
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Gerald Rooney
as Liam
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Susan Lynch
as Selkie
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Linda Greer
as Brigid
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Brendan Conroy
as Flynn
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Gerard Rooney
as Liam Coneelly
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Eddie Erskine
as Bar Patron
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Suzanne Gallagher
as Selkie's Daughter
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Pat Howey
as Priest
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Mícheál MacCárthaigh
as Schoolmaster
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Eugene McHugh
as Bar Patron
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Mairead Ni Ghallchoir
as Barmaid
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Tony Rubini
as Bar Patron
