
The film is set in Northern Ireland shortly after 1994 cease-fire. Hazel is a Protestant and Malachy a Catholic. Romance between them is threatened by Rohan (leader in militant underground and pal of Malachy's brother Padhar), who wants Malachy to be recruited and fight for the cause and by Hazel's brother Jef, who spies on her meetings.
Release Date: 9/15/1997
Runtime: 100 minutes
Languages: English
Director: Mary McGuckian
00Companies: First Look International, Overseas FilmGroup, Pembridge Pictures
Countries: Ireland
Wuchak
**_A Protestant girl and Catholic boy during The Troubles of Ireland_** This was written & directed by Mary McGuckian, who went on to helm “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” eight years later. Most people seem to hate that disregarded flick, but I appreciated it. This one is along the lines of “The Run of the Country,” which was shot the previous year, mixed with The Troubles element of the soon-to-come “The Boxer.” The storytelling strangely keeps the viewer at arm’s length, but winsome Samantha Morton tends to keep your attention. She was 18 during shooting and is, basically, the 90s’ British version of 80s’ Jodie Foster. On the masculine front, Richard Harris’ character is interesting as the quirky neighbor of Hazel’s conservative family and liberal facilitator of her relationship with the Catholic boy. Meanwhile Gabriel Byrne is impressively nonchalant as a nationalist who tries to recruit Hazel’s new beau into the perilous work of Irish republicans. The odd title of the movie stems from the 1985 song & album by the folk-rock band The Waterboys. The line “This was the river, this is the sea” relates to leaving “the river” of The Troubles and entering into the supposed “peace” of the new era of “the sea.” The music of The Waterboys and main-man Mike Scott can be heard throughout. Two songs by Belfast’s Brian Kennedy are also featured, who even appears as the singer at the nightclub. It runs 1h 40m and was shot in late summer 1995 at County Wicklow on the central-east coast of Ireland, as well just north of there in Dublin, and County Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, including Belfast. GRADE: B-
Gabriel Byrne
Rohan

Samantha Morton
Hazel Stokes
Ross McDade
Malachy McAliskey

Richard Harris
Old Man Jacobs

Gabriel Byrne
Rohan

John Lynch
Padhar McAliskey

Dearbhla Molloy
Ma Stokes

Ian McElhinney
Da Stokes
Marc O'Shea
Jef Stokes

Stella McCusker
Ma McAliskey
Mary McGuckian
Cathy

Des McAleer
Inspector Wilson

James Nesbitt
Constable Hubert Porter
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