Sometimes the Netflix recommendations work, sometimes they don't. This time they did. The source novel was written in 1984 so I expect the story was probably set in the 1970s or so. A shy young boy of 8 has been in an orphanage and without any warning, one day he is called over and told he is going home with a woman. She had been observing him and knew he would be the ideal choice for adoption. She and her husband had tried to have a child of their own, without success.
On the trip to his new home, which required a ride in a boat to the island homestead, he became seasick, it was his first experience on water. In fact just about everything was new and he was shy, and spoke with a slight stammer.
Connie Nielsen is great as the wife, and eventual "mother", Maire. Her husband is Aidan Quinn as Alec. They love each other but are opposites, she is caring and warm, he is a typical task-oriented man living off the land and the nearby sea.
The boy is John Bell as Tomás, and it would be hard to imagine anyone else playing the part so well. Unsure at first he gets used to the routine, the chores, the school, and the new neighbor kids. He is happy in his new home, he asks permission to call this lady "mom" and she agrees enthusiastically. It seems like a perfect fit.
Mom is not well, and when things take a turn for the worse Tomás wonders if he will be allowed to stay, at a place that he now considers his home. Things turn out well, after a series of trials, and soon he has a dad too. They help each other see the world in better ways.
A really fine, small movie with superb acting. The location isn't bad either!
On the trip to his new home, which required a ride in a boat to the island homestead, he became seasick, it was his first experience on water. In fact just about everything was new and he was shy, and spoke with a slight stammer.
Connie Nielsen is great as the wife, and eventual "mother", Maire. Her husband is Aidan Quinn as Alec. They love each other but are opposites, she is caring and warm, he is a typical task-oriented man living off the land and the nearby sea.
The boy is John Bell as Tomás, and it would be hard to imagine anyone else playing the part so well. Unsure at first he gets used to the routine, the chores, the school, and the new neighbor kids. He is happy in his new home, he asks permission to call this lady "mom" and she agrees enthusiastically. It seems like a perfect fit.
Mom is not well, and when things take a turn for the worse Tomás wonders if he will be allowed to stay, at a place that he now considers his home. Things turn out well, after a series of trials, and soon he has a dad too. They help each other see the world in better ways.
A really fine, small movie with superb acting. The location isn't bad either!