A Shine of Rainbows Reviews

What better time to present for review an Irish family drama than on St. Patrick’s Day? Vic Sarin’s A Shine of Rainbows doesn’t do anything notably fresh or innovative with this story of a childless couple adjusting in their own time to an orphaned boy who joins their family, but the film is made simply and well emphasizing the loving hearts which take their own time in offering respect and acceptance to those in need. It’s a sweet, lovely film without any pretense of being anything else.

Shy, introspective eight-year old Tomas (John Bell), afflicted by a stutter and a natural reticence about handling anything new, is chosen by Maire O'Donnell (Connie Nielsen) to come and live with her and her husband in their seaside house in Corrie, Ireland. Alec O'Donnell (Aidan Quinn) had trusted his wife to choose a proper son, but he’s disappointed in the overly timid lad when he appears. The child is scared to death of his new father, and his stammer has made him so reluctant to speak that Alec has little patience in trying to do anything with him. As Maire patiently brings the boy out of his shell, and he learns to love her and his new home (along with new friends Seamus - Jack Gleason – and Katie –  Niamh Shaw), Tomas also identifies with an orphaned seal whose mother hangs offshore waiting to see if her offspring can gain sufficient strength to survive in the ocean. Tomas innately realizes that if he’s to survive in his new environment, he, too, much learn to be self sufficient and prove that he’s worthy of love and respect.

Based on the novel by Lillian Beckwith, the script by director Sarin, Catherine Spear, and Dennis Foon lays on the metaphors a trifle thick from the get-go. Tomas releases a trapped bird from his orphanage’s schoolroom (just as he’s about to be released himself), and the extended sequences as Tomas tends to his pet seal Smudge who, like him, is struggling to survive a harsh environment with only partial parental guidance are charming if very obvious. The location filming in Ireland certainly helps the movie ring true, and Sarin’s widescreen camerawork (the director served as his own cinematographer) offers many pleasures. Yes, the film takes predictable turns in its melodramatic second half as tragedy strikes the family, and one wonders if the father can pull himself out of his drunken stupor and realize that what he has left is worth fighting for, but all of the scenes with Tomas and his mother are carefully composed and artfully and humanely performed. The film’s first half is also enhanced with a really interesting sojourn into a cave with the three children and an exciting encounter with a seagull protecting her eggs from a poaching boy.

The film’s effectiveness rests on the superlative playing of John Bell as Tomas, initially withdrawn and frightened and later beautifully metamorphosing into a confident, caring young lad. Connie Nielsen’s loving mother is a perfect embodiment of maternal affection and graciousness, topped off with a lilting Irish accent that seems altogether genuine. Aidan Quinn’s somewhat gruff Alec has less appeal though not due to a lack of performing talent from the actor but rather from the somewhat obvious and clichéd role as written. Jack Gleason and Niamh Shaw make irresistible playmates for Tomas, and Tara Alice Scully as their mother Nancy has a couple of effective scenes with the children and especially later with Bell’s Tomas.

Video Quality

3.5/5

The film’s Panavision theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 is replicated perfectly and is presented in an anamorphically enhanced widescreen  transfer. Sharpness is the transfer’s downfall as long shots are definitely soft, and even medium and close shots lack a crispness to make them stand out. The orphanage sequence features desaturated color so everything has an ultra drab appearance, but the rest of the film features a more natural color palette with reasonably decent hues and accurate flesh tones. The film has been divided into 28 chapters.

Audio Quality

4/5

The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix offers decent fidelity and a nice placement of Keith Power’s Irish-tinged score. There are some effectual examples of bass handled well by the LFE channel, and dialogue has been placed snugly into the center channel. The film’s low budget has prevented the sounds of the shore and the frequent Irish rainstorms to wrap deeply into the surrounds, but what has been offered is better than average and effective enough.

Special Features

2/5

The film’s only real bonus is a 48-minute documentary “So Many Colours: The Making of A Shine of Rainbows.” Featuring commentary by producer Tina Pehme and interviews with director-writer Vic Sarin, the featurette covers a lot of ground in detailing the book’s trip to the screen, everything from location scouting through auditioning and casting of the major child actors, the learning of the dialect for the two adult stars, costume fittings, visual effects, and the fashioning of the animatronic seal that plays Smudge. It’s in anamorphic widescreen.

The disc offers promo trailers for the new cable channel Fox Faith as well as the DVD Like Dandelion Dust.

In Conclusion

3.5/5 (not an average)

A Shine of Rainbows is an old-fashioned, fairly predictable family tearjerker, but it never pretends to be anything else, and it achieves its goals without undue flash or fireworks. A rental for family film night wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Matt Hough

Charlotte, NC