Review of The Rising of the Moon

This film, comprised of three vignettes, is about community, the community as it exists (existed) in Ireland --in short, Irish community. This strong sense of community is shown in three different contexts: rural, suburban/small town, and urban. Or, viewed another way, the film shows how moral choice, group frustration, and political conviction play out in the context of Irish community. I thought the film was superb. In the first vignette, we see how community supports a difficult, individual moral choice. In the second, how community pulls people together in fun to deal with a frustrating situation affecting everyone, but beyond individual control. In the third we see the impossibility of one country imposing its will on another in the context of a community of political conviction. The actors are all gifted, and the direction excellent. I liked the way the film's lighting darkened as it moved from rural to urban settings. To some the second vignette seems like a caricature, I saw it as satire --a group laughing at itself, not outsiders imposing stereotypes. It was like Italian movies poking fun at constant labor strikes, a story not to be taken at face value.