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That They May Face the Rising Sun

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01:39

That They May Face the Rising Sun

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Summary

Drama starring Barry Ward and Anna Bederke. In the early 1980s, creative couple Joe and Kate have moved from the bustle of London to Joe's childhood home in rural Ireland. Over the following year, they and their neighbours experience the gentle rhythms, natural beauty and occasional human dramas of country life.

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Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

Sean McGeady

This quiet, dignified drama asks big questions but phrases them ever so gently. What is happiness? What do we owe the people around us? Where is home? Based on the novel by John McGahern, the film chronicles a year in the lives of Joe Ruttledge (Barry Ward) and wife Kate (Anna Bederke), a bohemian couple who, sometime in the early 1980s, flee London for the Irish countryside of Joe's childhood. As they settle into the rhythms of rural life, we see the seasons change and meet an ensemble of supporting characters who pop in and out, bringing their baggage with them. Director/co-writer Pat Collins builds on his experience in documentaries to depict these lives in exquisite, melancholy detail. This is a slow piece of great warmth and sympathy that invites viewers to find the beauty in birdsong, long grass and works left half-finished. From the fragility of provincial communities to the ways metropolitan perspectives commingle with old-world attitudes, its themes are rich and rewarding. A lyrical lament for fading summers. Bring a tissue.

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7.2/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameJoe RuttledgeBarry WardKate RuttledgeAnna BederkePatrick RyanLalor RoddyJohnny MurphySean McGinleyMary MurphyRuth McCabeJamesie MurphyPhillip DolanBill EvansBrendan ConroyThe ShahJohn Olohan

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Crew

rolenameDirectorPat Collins

Details

Theatrical distributor

Conic

Released on

2024-04-26

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing

Formats

Colour

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