The Secret Scripture

Name: The Secret Scripture
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: October 13, 2017
Duration: 108 min
Rating: 37
Cast: Adrian Dunbar, Aidan Turner, Brian Fortune, Charlie Kelly, Eric Bana

2017

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Ratings

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The Secret Scripture

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Movie Details & Credits

Lucky Red | Release Date: October 13, 2017 | PG-13

Starring: Adrian Dunbar, Aidan Turner, Brian Fortune, Charlie Kelly, Eric Bana, Jack Reynor, Omar Sharif Jr., Pauline McLynn, Rooney Mara, Susan Lynch, Theo James, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Vanessa Redgrave

Summary: Roseanne McNulty (Vanessa Redgrave) must vacate the soon-to-be demolished mental institution in Roscommon, Ireland that she's called home for over 50 years. The psychiatrist, Dr. Grene (Eric Bana), is called in to assess her condition. He finds himself intrigued by Roseanne's seemingly inscrutable rituals and tics, and her fierce attachmentRoseanne McNulty (Vanessa Redgrave) must vacate the soon-to-be demolished mental institution in Roscommon, Ireland that she's called home for over 50 years. The psychiatrist, Dr. Grene (Eric Bana), is called in to assess her condition. He finds himself intrigued by Roseanne's seemingly inscrutable rituals and tics, and her fierce attachment to her Bible, which she has over the decades transformed into a palimpsest of scripture, drawings, and cryptic diary entries. As Grene delves deeper, we see her as a young woman (Rooney Mara), whose charisma proves seductive. We learn that she moved to Sligo to work in her aunt's café, fell in love with a dashing fighter pilot (Jack Reynor), and that a local priest (Theo James) fell tragically in love with her.… Expand

Director: Jim Sheridan

Genre(s): Drama, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 108 min

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Critic Reviews

Allan Hunter

Sep 17, 2016

It is an elegantly crafted, expertly acted old-fashioned weepie that manages to sell a whopper of a plot that would bring a blush to the cheeks of Nicholas Sparks. Read full review

Sheri Linden

Sep 17, 2016

Rooney Mara and Theo James deliver their most richly nuanced screen work to date in the drama, a memory piece whose true subject is Ireland’s tangled, bloody history and the Church’s toxic paternalism toward women. Read full review

The Playlist Noel Murray

Sep 17, 2016

The Secret Scripture is a film with a lot to say, which struggles with the best way to say it. Read full review

The Guardian Benjamin Lee

Sep 17, 2016

Sheridan’s take on the material is solidly made but sorely lacking in subtlety. Read full review

Andrew Barker

Sep 17, 2016

A classic case of a literary adaptation capturing the high-gloss trappings of its source without getting a handle on its story or themes, The Secret Scripture is like a nicely decorated Craftsman home built on a foundation of Jell-O, with a toilet where the kitchen sink should be. It looks nice on first glance, but spend any time there, and things start to get messy. Read full review

Sam Fragoso

Sep 17, 2016

The ending of this movie is monumentally, historically, even catastophically bad. Its big reveal is so mind-numbingly asinine that it nearly retroactively erases any intelligence you may have had before watching this movie. Yes, it’s that agonizing. Read full review

Time Out London Tom Huddleston

May 15, 2017

So the cast is talented, the director has a decent track record and of course ‘The Secret Scripture’ looks pretty, in a picture-postcard sort of way. But the script is painful, not just horribly clichéd but trite, directionless and unaccountably pleased with itself. Read full review

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User Reviews

smiltys

Nov 21, 2021

A touching movie.

It starts really slow... quite dark... but in the end it unfolds.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

LeZee

Feb 4, 2018

The never-ending struggle for women in the male dominated world!

This is a surprise film. Almost my favourite. Because I don't know when the last time I wetted my eyes. I'm not ashamed to say that I love sentimental films. This was not like a thorough tearjerker, but it gets there at someThe never-ending struggle for women in the male dominated world!

This is a surprise film. Almost my favourite. Because I don't know when the last time I wetted my eyes. I'm not ashamed to say that I love sentimental films. This was not like a thorough tearjerker, but it gets there at some point. It was like I have been waiting for such film a very long time, so that I ended up liking it more than I was anticipating.

An Irish-English language film with a wonderful cast. Because of those actors I have watched it, despite it was not promoted big like the Hollywood films. It's not in the mainstream films list. That's why not many people do not know about this film. Rooney Mara's one of the best performances. The remaining cast too had big roles, but was not powerful as hers.

Films has genres, books has genres, but not all of those works converted to each other form works out. This is such a rare genre where both formats triumphs. Watching this film is almost as experience of reading the book. You know those literatures explaining the events, character deeply, emotionally, that's quite matching in this film with beautiful locations and nice background score.

The suspense kept me expecting every moment of my watch. The end twist was not that difficult, but not all the viewers can predict it easily. It is a tale from the first half of the 20th century. But most of it was split into early and the later events. Overwhelmed by the flashback, the film reveals an old and a last woman in a mental asylum to evacuate the building to a new location. So those last moments of her stay in there, she explains why she's refusing to leave.

-xX] There's a sickness in people that stops them seeing the truth. [Xx-

A doctor from another place is now reviewing her case, has to go through her story to understand the situation and act accordingly, that's accompanied by a nurse. So she reveals her secret romance when she was young, when the whole town turned against her. Particularly a young priest. How she had ended up in the mental hospital, and after 40 years, now denying to leave the building. The story ends emotionally.

The film was like the mix of 'The Little Prince' and 'Neverwas'. Because the reality and the other way around were nicely put together. Only it all were told from the grown up's perspective. They are showing something means does not you have to believe it. So it all comes to the final twist, how it ends by revealing what. No doubt if it resembles someone's real life, perhaps in the past, because in the earlier centuries, such fate, particularly for women is so common. That's where it's heart-wrenching.

A perfect title for what it narrated. The older version of the lead role was too well performed. The romance part was short, but mystery extended till the final scene. Overall, the focus given to what to narrate and what not were nicely done. A very satisfying film, glad that I saw it.

I don't know everybody would like it as much I did, but surely worth a try. Since the story was told from a woman's point of view about her struggle in the men dominated world, they might like it better than others. Because, as I know in the recent, the women's empowerment rising to equal men than never before. All I say is, just watch it!

8.5/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Kapli4ka

Sep 12, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Почему пастор такой злой я так и не понял. Просто постоянно крипово себя вел и делал пакости. Единственный норм поступок это когда он передал ребёнка, но опять же, вся ситуация была его рук дело, поэтому не считается.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

KenR

Aug 29, 2018

This should have been one of the great tragic love stories of the decade. It takes a well deserved look at the abuses of Catholic guilt and institutions – as well as the tragedy of undeserved admissions metered out to certain people hidden away in mental asylums of the day. The approach thatThis should have been one of the great tragic love stories of the decade. It takes a well deserved look at the abuses of Catholic guilt and institutions – as well as the tragedy of undeserved admissions metered out to certain people hidden away in mental asylums of the day. The approach that director/co-writer (with Johnny Ferguson) Jim Sheridan has chosen, follows an unnecessarily trendy flash-back jigsaw puzzle style. This offers the audience little help to fully comprehend the complex relationships between the principle characters. Characters are seen talking to each other (very briefly) without giving us the chance to easily identify with them as the focus of the story develops. It’s as if the numerous flash-back-fast-forward device is being used to hide various production problems. The Irish locations are beautiful and accompanied by a haunting music score that helps add the much need atmosphere. There are very good performances throughout the picture but the situations are presented in a somewhat uninvolving manner. Make no mistake, this is a sad story indeed but lacks the much needed emotional cohesion to help us fully engage with the vital relationships. Those who don’t mind working harder than should be needed for a standard love story of the era may not mind the convoluted outcome but, many others will need to go back for another look and, this could amplify the stories huge reliance on several rather strained coincidences. The song that plays over the end titles is nothing less than excellent and packs an emotional wallop to help win over the viewer’s final feelings for this sad but not always convincing story. An ‘upmarket’ sex scene that cements the lover’s relationship is played out in the heroines broken down cottage and even though there is a warm cosy bed in full view the director chooses the small, cold, bare wooden table for this to play out upon - somehow, I don’t quite think so.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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