“The Secret of Roan Inish” is a film written and directed by John Sayles. It is an American film that is based on Rosalie Fry’s novel titled The Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry. It was released in 1994. The film highlights an Irish folklore relating to seals that can shed their skins and change into humans. The movie tells the story of a young girl, Fiona. After the death of her mother, Fiona goes to live with her cousin, Eamon, and grandparents close to the island of Roan Inish. The grandfather narrates stories regarding the family’s departure from a small island. Fiona learns of the story regarding how his grandfather’s great-great grandfather escaped death narrowly escaped death from the sea. She also meets villagers who narrate personal experiences regarding how her baby brother was swept off by the sea waves. During her interaction with the neighbors, Fiona also learns about her uncle who married a beautiful seal that was partly human. Later on, Fiona believes that she has seen Jamie playing in the grass at the Roan Inish and seeks to convince the family about what she has seen.
Scenery
As the film progresses, it provides the scenery in Dublin where Fiona and her parents had previously resided before her father sent her to live with her grandparents. Fiona is mesmerized by the Island of Roan Inish scenery that stretches from the coast of the western Irish village. As Fiona moves to the village, two boys, Tito and Ossie leave the countryside to move to the metropolitan scenery of Dublin City. The foregoing scenes are important since they make viewers aware of the differences between the western and eastern regions or Ireland.
The film provides a prominent theme of courage and hope as virtually every character is depicted as longing for different lives. For instance, Fiona is seen as eager to understand the past with a view of exploring the future. A similar aspect is also apparent from the two boys, Tito and Ossie’s journey to the city of Dublin. From the film, one can learn about the expanse of the British Empire and its influence. This can be seen when Fiona’s grandfather narrates of how their family was evicted from their home in the small island of Roan Inish. One also learns that Ireland is made up of homogenous societies.
