Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Excellent film for family and to teach Christ's Golden Rule. The cinematography will not disappoint nor will the music--both get 10 stars. The acting is good but not epic, so I give the film 9 stars. The story, however, should stick with you for a while and have a positive effect-- especially for Christians: zelie417's review is right on but I would like to add to his/her analysis regarding the end of the film:********* Extreme spoiler follows: *********Seamus narrates the very beginning of the film. He says, in essence, "our hearts can become hardened." Seamus also narrates the very end of the film. He says, in essence, "our hearts must break to heal."Seamus already knows Jesus and does His work. Although Seamus dies in the end, he still gets to meet God (the geese). He also gets his miracle: through Seamus, James and "The Man, 'Darry'" FORGIVE the men from their past Catholic/Protestant Troubles. The last scene is James' heart breaking and the start of his healing and relationship with Christ-- a Very emotionally moving moment.

After the heavy handed "Admit One" 'critic, allow me to advocate for the film from a foreigner point of view, that is (sorry for the broken English!). The scenery is beautiful, the acting great, the Irish brogue and the music fit in perfectly, some scenes are perfectly delicate (dialogue between Seamus and Grace about Columcille, the man "Darry" shaving), the plot is "different". No nudity, no sex and very little violence but quite a few issues such as faith, belief, forgiveness, commitment, life and death. The plot might be a bit hard to understand but it doesn't matter; the film is like some kind of dream on the water, maybe Seamus'mind wandering about. The question raised is "how to live in a country scattered by thirty years of civil war" and dealt with in an interesting way. At some point, this film reminded me of Bergman's "Seventh Seal", in a modest way. Strongly recommended to speculative persons.

---I am sorry but this movie lost me along the way. I don't see what the purpose of the wounded IRA guy was in the story at all. What could have been a really poignant movie about the troubles of the dying young boy trying to find the meaning of death and the older boy's emotionally damaged attempts to find the meaning in life after witnessing his father's murder is simply plowed under in some totally inexplicable foray into IRA politics. ---I waited for it to be all tied together in the end but it didn't happen and it all simply became more confusing. This movie could have been a real winner had they spent more time on the story. I mean the ending is simply not there. The boy dies after seeing his geese and the older boy is left in the boat I guess, we don't know for sure. ---The boys could have been brought ashore again near the younger's parents cabin with the older boy having been helped the younger boy to understand or accept what is coming and then have the parents take in the older boy and provide him with the emotional help he needed. So the younger boy passes away but the older boy finds understanding and a home where he gets help from parents who are left needing someone to help. Just one of many better ways to have ended this movie. ---Instead we get a well made movie with a mediocre story... in my opinion..

This is another in a series of depressing Sinn Féin Irish Republican Army meditations. The film starts off great and the idea is terrific, it badly veers of course somewhere in the middle and the focus turns off of the child and onto the IRA and it stays there. It just gets more depressing as each minute rolls by. Murder, knee capping, kidnapping, betrayal and a dying child. It's all there and rolled out before you at an agonizing pace in this heartwarming comedy and meditation on God. If this film is "laugh out loud funny", then I invented the internet. There are a couple of cute bits in the film, but that's it. The acting is fine, the cinematography is fine but nothing you have not seen before. This film is marketed as something it is not. Renter beware...