The Secret of Roan Inish

In post-war Ireland, ten-year-old Fiona is sent to her grandparents in a fishing village in the west while her father looks for work in the city. The family once lived on the island of Roan Inish, and as they left it the youngest baby, Fiona's brother, was carried out to sea in his cradle. The story told in the village is not that he died but that the seals took him. The film is not interested in a fairy tale. It is interested in a family constructing its own account: the villagers explain the event through the selkie legend, and Fiona is the only person who takes the story seriously. The film does not argue over which is true; it follows her search. The form is calm and bound to nature: rocky shores, the sea, wooden boats, real island locations. Haskell Wexler's photography rests on natural light and the seal sequences were shot with real animals. John Sayles wrote and directed, from Rosalie K. Fry's novel. Sayles is known for writing commercial screenplays to finance his own independent films, and this is among the quietest of them. Jeni Courtney plays Fiona and Mick Lally the grandfather. Who it is for: viewers who like Irish folklore and quiet films told from a child's view. Who it is not for: anyone wanting pace. The film is very slow and its plot consists largely of stories being told.