A Shine of Rainbows (2009) on Netflix
In 1960s Ireland, orphan Tomás is adopted by Maire, who brings him to her island home. Her husband Alec had expected an older child; Tomás makes friends and finds a seal pup.
- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb7.1/102,633 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes50%
Trailer
Plot summary
Tomás is mocked by other children at his orphanage because he is small, shy and stutters. Maire O'Donnell adopts him and brings him to the island where she lives with her husband, Alec, who had expected her to adopt an older child. Tomás is intimidated by Alec. Nancy and Seamus take him to a cave where bats live; he is frightened and runs, and they comfort him. His new school accepts him, and he becomes more confident and drawn to wildlife. While Maire is away on the mainland, Alec takes Tomás fishing and they come upon an abandoned seal pup on the shore. Tomás decides to care for it and names it Smudge.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about A Shine of Rainbows (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Smudge, the abandoned seal that Tomás adopts in the film, was an animatronic, and its scenes were shot first because of fears about bad weather on the beach that never materialised.
- The film's rain scene, in which Tomás jumps in puddles, had to be manufactured by the production because it failed to rain at all during the shoot.
- Some of the orphanage scenes in the Irish-Canadian film were shot inside an abandoned hospital, which the production's design crew touched up for the shoot.
