Trailer
Plot summary
In 1946, after her mother's death, Fiona goes to her grandparents' home in an Irish fishing village; her father is ill and she is frail herself. Her grandfather tells how the family left Roan Inish during the Second World War, and her cousin Tadhg tells of an ancestor who married a selkie, a seal-woman whose blood still runs in the family. On errands to the island with her cousin Eamon, Fiona sees a boy she takes for her brother Jamie, lost to the sea years before, and the seals seem to bring him food and watch over him. When she calls out, he flees in a wooden cradle that serves him as a boat.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Over a thousand girls were tested for the role of Fiona; the actress had to be "perky", underweight and pale-complexioned, and not afraid of water.
- The film was adapted from John Sayles's partner Maggie Renzi's favorite childhood book; producer Sarah Green spent a year tracking down its author, Rosalie K. Fry, who sold the film rights but died before the film was finished.
- To show the seals, the filmmakers combined trained seals, footage of wild seals, and special effects involving puppetry.
