The Nephew (1998)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Eugene Brady

Writers:

Eugene Brady (story) and
Doug Mayfield (story) ...

Release Date:

28 August 1998 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

They're worlds apart, but closer than anyone could believe.

Plot:

A little island off Ireland. A small town. An old conflict. Fresh wind.

Plot Keywords:

Ireland | Interracial Relationship | African American | Wake | Irish American

Cast

Niall Toibin	...	Sean
Sinéad Cusack	...	Brenda O'Boyce
Luke Griffin	...	Peter O'Boyce
Phelim Drew	...	Patsy
Donal McCann	...	Tony Egan
Pierce Brosnan	...	Joe Brady
Tony Rohr	...	Crony #1
Jimmy Keogh	...	Crony #2
Marcus Lynch	...	Crony #3
Birdy Sweeney	...	Old Codger
Aonghus Og McAnally	...	Red Haired Kid
Hill Harper	...	Chad Egan-Washington
Aislín McGuckin	...	Aislín Brady
Lorraine Pilkington	...	Rachel
David Quinn	...	Dermot O'Boyce

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Ireland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:I | New Zealand:PG | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | Sweden:7 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Ireland

Company:

Irish DreamTime

Trivia:

The drawings done by Chad in the film were really painted by Irish painter James Hanley.

A Film To Fall In Love With

A spirited young man from New York, Chad (played by Hill Harper, very worth your notice), takes a trip to an island off the coast of Ireland. This after the death of his only remaining parent, to fulfill a promise to meet his estranged uncle, a local man, full of his own ideas about how life should be lived, for himself as well as others.

They embark on a personal journey full of challenges, surprises, family secrets and an uncertainty as to whether or not they will ever find common ground.

All of the main characters have been convincingly developed and they each have something conceivable and worthy to offer in their expression. This may not have been a super-high budget film but the acting is superb. Pierce Brosnan (one of the producers) gives a generous and compelling performance as the conflicted, local bar owner trying to balance parenthood and an amended life from behind the stone wall of a protected heart. Veteran actor, Donal McCann, in one if his final performances, adds an authentic and credible edge as our protagonist's uncle. Sinead Cusak, Phelim Drew, Niall Tobin, Lorraine Pilkington and Aislin McGuckin also deliver command performances as the villagers that are comprised of both the kindred and not-so-kindred spirits, in Chad's new world.

The soundtrack is a compilation of beautiful Irish ballads, old soul and rock as well as various and sundry other scores that lend a tight musical canvas against which this story is painted. It was disappointing to learn that there are no plans to make this soundtrack into an album that could be purchased.

What keeps me coming back to this sweet and gallant movie is its soulfulness and its honesty. The map of the human heart is ultimately universal and the characters in this story endeavor to draw their own lines to determine what defines friendship, family and honor.

This is a wonderful, interesting and thoughtfully structured comfort film that begs to be watched from your favorite easy chair on a cozy day - with feet up, your favorite afghan and a warm cup of tea and favorite cookies nearby.