The Secret of Roan Inish (1995)

I love this movie, but be warned. I have recommended it dozens of times and no one who has seen it at my urging has sought my movie advice again. Hmm. I would like to think that these are friends who don't appreciate fine film, but I must, in all fairness, entertain the thought that perhaps this is a movie that isn't for all tastes. Do you like poetry? Fantasy? Story-spinning? This movie is like a song. It can take you away, if you're willing to go. It effortlessly shows off the beauty and mystery of Ireland in a way that "The Matchmaker" (with Janeane Garofalo) wanted, but that film just made the landscape a lovely background to a silly, throw-away plot. That's not the case with "The Secret of Roan Inish." The story belongs in Ireland and makes you want to go and capture a bit of the magic it spins.

A-