The Secret of Roan Inish-Movie Review 10/12/2012
Posted by Films to consider in Folktale, Independent Spirit Awards, Irish film, John Sayles, Light Drama, Movies.Tags: independent spirit awards, secret of roan inish
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The Secret of Roan Inish (Irish/English) 1995
Island of the Seals
Directed by John Sayles
Starring Jeni Courtney and Pat Slowey
Among one award and several other nominations:
NOMINATED, Best Director (Sayles); Best Feature; Best Screenplay, Independent Spirit Awards
A little off the beaten path: a friend recommended this movie, which is a retelling of the Irish folktale about the island of Roan Inish, the island of the selkies – seals who are said to take human form. I enjoyed it much more than I expected.
Fiona, aged ten, is sent to live with her grandparents across from the island of Roan Inish that they (and she) used to call home. When she gets curious about the local legends about the island, she finds out about her own family history and about her baby brother.
Director Sayles tells the tale without being overly sweet or sentimental; credit in this respect should be also given to the young actress Jeni Courtney in her introductory role. Apparently, she did not go on to act in many other pieces (only three are listed on IMDb).
A great movie for kids and adults.
102 min. Rated PG.
FILMS TO CONSIDER 
Glad you liked it 🙂
I actually saw this movie a long time ago. I remember liking it.
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