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The Secret of Roan Inish

The Secret of Roan Inish

Adventure · Fantasy · Family · 1994

Ten-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland. She soon learns the local legend that an ancestor of hers married a Selkie – a seal who can turn into a human. Years earlier, her baby brother was washed out to sea and never seen again, so when Fiona spies a naked little boy on the abandoned Isle of Roan Inish, she is compelled to investigate.

Movie details

The Secret of Roan Inish

“Between land and sea there is a place where myths are real.”

1994 Adventure · Fantasy · Family 1h 43m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

Ten-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland. She soon learns the local legend that an ancestor of hers married a Selkie – a seal who can turn into a human. Years earlier, her baby brother was washed out to sea and never seen again, so when Fiona spies a naked little boy on the abandoned Isle of Roan Inish, she is compelled to investigate.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Secret of Roan Inish?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Sayles

Written by

John Sayles

J

Jeni Courtney

Fiona

E

Eileen Colgan

Tess

Mick Lally

Mick Lally

Hugh

John Lynch

John Lynch

Tadhg

P

Pat Slowey

Priest

Dave Duffy

Dave Duffy

Jim

Declan Hannigan

Declan Hannigan

Oldest brother

Court is in session

Put The Secret of Roan Inish on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.