The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

John Sayles

Writers (WGA):

Rosalie K. Fry (book)
John Sayles (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 February 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

The secret's out!

Plot:

10-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland...

Plot Keywords:

Seal | Ireland | Island | Child | Kids And Family

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Jeni Courtney	...	Fiona
Pat Slowey	...	Priest
Dave Duffy	...	Jim
Declan Hannigan	...	Oldest brother
Mairéad Ní Ghallchóir	...	Barmaid
Eugene McHugh	...	Bar Patron 1
Tony Rubini	...	Bar Patron 2
Mick Lally	...	Hugh
Eileen Colgan	...	Tess
Richard Sheridan	...	Eamon
Micheal MacCarthaigh	...	Schoolmaster
Fergal McElherron	...	Sean Michael
Brendan Conroy	...	Flynn
John Lynch	...	Tadhg
Frankie McCafferty	...	Tim

MPAA:

Rated PG for some moments that may be disquieting to small children.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA | Ireland

Language:

English | Irish Gaelic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Chile:14 | Spain:T | USA:PG | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

County Donegal, Ireland

Company:

Jones Entertainment Group

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Near the end of the film, when the seals push the cradle-boat back into the sea, you can clearly see a hand at the top left corner of the frame grab the cradle and pull it.

charming and magical

I saw this listed in TV guide, and watched it because the description made me imagine it would be a simple, charming movie. I didn't realize it was a John Sayles movie until I saw his name on the credits and then I thought it might be something different; I don't associate Sayles with simple family movies. But in fact, this is pretty much the movie I was hoping for, full of Irish charm and blarney, beautiful filmed and full of magic and wonder. One hesitates to call it a children's movie or a family movie because those are generally awful, but it is very much the sort of movie that is perfect to take the family too (although it is unaccountably rated PG). But it's not *just* a kid's movie, it's a movie with magic for anyone, and I would put it in the same category as Alfonso Cuarón's A Little Princess, another movie that treats children not in the Disney aren't-they-cute way but as real thinking individuals. This is a lovely drama featuring a child rather than a kid's movie, but it works on either level.