The Secret of Roan Inish is a pleasant film about a young girl who goes to live with her grandparents in a small town. Throughout her stay she is regaled with strange tales that seem to blend history with legend in a fantastical mix that kind of made my head spin. As she goes on to explore what truth lies within these fables, I was a bit confused. I had kind of assumed that everything was just tall tales designed to intrigue and entertain a child, but then we start finding some pieces of the stories were real. It was one of those situations where my logical mind kicked in a bit too much and became a detriment, because I was trying to figure out how these things were possible, when I think the film was simply asking me to let go and accept that not everything has to make perfect sense.
The entire film has a very laidback feel to it. I never felt like there was much conflict or struggle, which isn't a bad thing (not every film has to be an action blockbuster.) But this quality made The Secret of Roan Inish very relaxing, and therefore it made me a bit sleepy and easily distracted. It's the kind of film that I wish I had seen as a young boy because I could see myself entirely enraptured by it and drawn into the magic of the story. There's definitely something fascinating underlying this film, and the sense of magical realism should be a big selling feature for me. Yet for some reason I was never drawn into it as much as I would like. I have a sense that this might have just been the wrong time for me to watch The Secret of Roan Inish, and I need to watch it again when I can fully lock into the film and shut out all distractions. Even so, it was still a nice movie that made me feel good.
The entire film has a very laidback feel to it. I never felt like there was much conflict or struggle, which isn't a bad thing (not every film has to be an action blockbuster.) But this quality made The Secret of Roan Inish very relaxing, and therefore it made me a bit sleepy and easily distracted. It's the kind of film that I wish I had seen as a young boy because I could see myself entirely enraptured by it and drawn into the magic of the story. There's definitely something fascinating underlying this film, and the sense of magical realism should be a big selling feature for me. Yet for some reason I was never drawn into it as much as I would like. I have a sense that this might have just been the wrong time for me to watch The Secret of Roan Inish, and I need to watch it again when I can fully lock into the film and shut out all distractions. Even so, it was still a nice movie that made me feel good.