The Secret of Roan Inish

by John Sayles (Director)

DVD, 2007

Call number

Family, DVD 118

Collections

Publication

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2000), Edition: Special ed.

Description

A magical tale of a girl whose search for her missing brother brings an Irish legend to life.

User reviews

LibraryThing member rnnyhoff
Based on the book, The Secret of Ron Mor Skerry, by Rosalie K. Fry (which I have not read), and adapted by director John Sayles, the movie, which has remarkable cinematography, is based on myth and lore explored by the protagonist, 10-year-old Fiona, who after her mother dies, goes to live with her
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grandparents on the island of Roan Inish, where her family has lived for generations and "selkies" are said to live. A selkie, in Irish lore, is a person who can transform him or herself into a seal.

Years earlier, Fiona's younger brother was swept out to sea as a baby and now she believes, after hearing stories by her grandfather and villagers, that her brother, Jamie, was kidnapped and raised by a selkie. She sees, playing in the grass on Roan Inish, a child who she believes is Jamie. Now, it is her task to convince her family that the child is her long lost baby brother.

Filmed on the incredibly beautiful west coast of Ireland with actual residents as secondary actors, the story is superb and captivating. Far from the quote-unquote civilized world, its foreign nature and eerie wonder make the tale of half seal/half person beings a perfect one for the YA imagination. It is filled with drama, passion, and familial love, as well as the connection and bond of an island community.

It is truly a classic for the young adult audience.
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LibraryThing member librisissimo
Substance: Interweaving the legends and lives of the Irish fishermen post-WW2. Based on the book "Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry."
Style: Slow on purpose, relying on Irish music and cinematic shots of the landscape and ocean for effect.

ISBN

0767821580 / 9780767821582

UPC

004339650929
Page: 0.2378 seconds