Four Letters of Love
M
•
1 hr 49 min
•
24/04/2025
•
for suicide references
New
If you’re after a wildly romantic and enchanting drama don’t go past this adaptation of Niall Williams’ best-selling debut novel Four Letters of Love. Pierce Brosnan stars as William, a civil servant who when struck by sunlight at his desk believes it’s a sign from God telling him to follow his destiny and become a painter. William doesn’t just walk out on his job, he also walks out on his wife and teenage son Nicholas (Fionn O’Shea) as he heads to the Western Irish Islands to wander and paint. At the same time, the story follows a family living on the same island. Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) and her husband Muiris, the local schoolmaster and poet (Gabriel Byrne), are preparing for their teenage daughter Isabel (Ann Skelly) to leave the island to attend a convent school on the mainland.
Family and relationships are themes at the heart of this story, but it’s essentially about Issy’s coming-of-age. Skelly is captivating as the spirited Isabel, keen to spread her wings but hesitant to leave the island after older brother Sean (Donal Finn) becomes paralysed. Isabel’s convent experience is short-lived, but she finds her place with a young man on the mainland, while Nicholas becomes obsessed with understanding why his father abandoned him. Their paths cross briefly at first, before being brought together by fate and a miracle.
The story is set in 1971 and has a strong sense of time and place. The island is a stunning setting and a character in its own right. Isabel’s family village is picturesque and stuck in time. It’s a place where traditions are valued and people are connected through nature, poetry, music and painting. It adds up to a sense of nostalgia — but this is also a film with surprisingly
NZ Herald ★★★★ 1/2
Wed
30
"If you’re after a wildly romantic and enchanting drama don’t go past this adaptation of Niall Williams’ best-selling debut novel Four Letters of Love"
NZ Herald ★★★★ 1/2
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- Genre:Drama, Romance, Fantasy
- Director:Polly Steele
- Cast:Fionn O'Shea, Ann Skelly, Pierce Brosnan
