The Secret of Roan Innish
Directed by John Sayles
With an Irish Cast
1995
John Sayles is perhaps best known for his Texas desert drama, 'Lone Star' - which in the canon of classic films gets shelved right next to 'No Country for Old Men". 'Secret of Roan Innish' was actually released just before this film, and is quite the climatic contrast - I viewed them in reverse order, and am reminded of the movie now by a recent travel transition, in that same reverse order. Hopefully all interpretations are valid...
Roan Innish is a children's story, but the literary quality is one that educated adults should love, perhaps more. It concerns a youngster's return to rural Ireland just after WW2 and captures the magic of the Country and one's roots - while also not hiding the hard working lives of the adults.
The family legend here concerns a 'selkie' - a seal capable of turning into a human, and the loss of her own brother as an infant. All of this unfolds as the family itself attempts to reclaim their homestead on an abandoned island near the ancestral village.