Based on internationally acclaimed Irish author John McGahern's award winning novel of the same name, That They May Face the Rising Sun is a vivid evocation of nature, humanity and life itself, set in a 1980's rural community in Ireland.
Joe and Kate Ruttledge have returned from London to live and work among the small, close-knit community near to where Joe grew up. Now deeply embedded in life around the lake, the drama of a year in their lives and those of the memorable characters around them unfolds through the rituals of work, play and the passing seasons as this enclosed world becomes an everywhere.
Director: Pat Collins
Actor: Barry Ward, Anna Bederke, Lalor Roddy, Sean McGinley, Ruth McCabe
United Kingdom, Ireland
Language: English, Duration 107 min, Genres: Drama
But like many good historical films, it’s perhaps more about the present – or even an imagined future... the focus is on the power of a local community.
Catholic Herald Fr Dominic White
beautifully realised and quietly beguiling
Screen Daily Allan Hunter
here’s a film that unwraps its mysteries slowly, revealing under its quiet surface the human condition writ delicate but deep.
Financial Times ★★★★★ - 5 star review
Using subtle visual motifs to elucidate the film’s themes, he takes an unhurried approach to his characters’ lives, trusting the audience to understand they’re rich enough and colourful enough to forgo the need for melodramatic embellishment.
The Scotsman ★★★★ - 4 star review
subtle and dignified performances across the board
The Guardian ★★★ - 3 star review
The rain comes down, the sun shines, grass grows, children grow old and die. That’s the holy all of it” – and Collins brings the curious, attentive eye of the documentarian to capturing these moments, making That They May Face the Rising Sun a quietly captivating experience.
Sight and Sound Philip Concannon
QUAD CINEMA
New York, NY
April 11 - 17, 2025
Laemmle Royal
Los Angeles, CA
April 18 - 24, 2025
Theater N
Wilmington, DE
April 25 - 27, 2025
Mary D Fisher
Sedona, AZ
April 25 - May 1, 2025
Fine Arts Theatre
Kansas City, MO
April 25 - May 1, 2025
The Flix
Boise, ID
May 16 - May 22, 2025
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