That They May Face the Rising Sun

Adapted from Irish literary giant John McGahern’s final novel, this stunning bucolic treat is a hymn to the joys of the Irish countryside and the people who live in it. Joe (Barry Ward) and Kate (Anna Bederke) have escaped the city and find themselves woven into the lush world of County Leitrim. Is happiness possible or will the idyll be shattered?

Director Pat Collins continues his run of authentic and attentive views of Gaelic lives, following Song of Granite and his documentary focused on John McGahern’s life. For those who have delighted in recent Irish treasures such as The Quiet Girl, this is another stunning adaptation of Irish rural life, deeply humane and beguilingly beautiful that manages to take the merits of its literary roots and turn it into something powerfully cinematic.