The Secret Scripture
Director: Jim Sheridan
Talent: Rooney Mara, Jack Reynor, Eric Bana, Vanessa Redgrave
Release Date: 24th March
Based on the 2008 novel by Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture marks director Jim Sheridan’s return to his Irish roots after a mostly disastrous stint in Hollywood. However, despite some decent performances by a strong cast, the change in scenery has done little to reignite the creative spark of this once essential filmmaker.
In the present day, psychiatrist Dr William Greene (Bana) is tasked with evaluating Rose McNulty (Redgrave), a patient in a Roscommon mental asylum for over fifty years. Through flashbacks set in a small Sligo village during the Second World War, the story of the doomed love affair between the young Rose (Mara) and Michael (Reynor) and the reasons behind her long confinement are revealed.
Though not all the fault lies with Sheridan — a couple of implausible plot turns and the final, utterly predictable revelation are lifted straight from the novel — his screenplay dilutes the political message of Barry’s work while never coming to grips with its characters and themes, resulting in a convoluted, dramatically inert misfire. Very vanilla.
Words – Felipe Deakin
