This Is My Father

THE WEALTH of acting talent on board in This Is My Father should tip you off that they're not there just to pocket the cheques, and despite its faintly 'Oirish' premise, the movie - brainchild of the three Quinn brothers - is ludicrously enjoyable from start to finish, acted with huge passion by practically all concerned, and genuinely affecting above and beyond what anyone might have dared to hope. It takes place in two different timezones: James Caan, in fine form, plays an Irish-yank who returns to the aul' sod to solve the mystery of his parentage. The rest of the action takes place in the religiously-repressed setting of rural '30s Ireland: Aidan Quinn and the highly promising Moya Farrelly are a young couple attempting to sustain a romance in extremely difficult circumstances, and they work together brilliantly - Quinn is so dowdily-dressed and ruggedly rural you forget who you're watching, while Farrelly (a Navan native) is one of those enchantingly free-spirited natural born stars that only come along every so often. A rich wealth of supporting talent ensures that the quality control never slips for a minute, while any hint of predictable Oirishness is precluded by a profoundly moving narrative, a romantic tragedy that would work almost as well as a novel. The suffocating social mores of the time and place have arguably never been as well-illustrated on film as they are herein, and though the poster wouldn't necessarily entice you in, anyone taking the chance will be well rewarded.