by Yazmin Ghonaim

DANCING AT LUGHNASA Pat O'Connor (1998) In his recent film, Dancing At Lughnasa, Director Pat O'Connor explores the dynamism which surfaces from the relationships between the five unmarried Bundy sisters (played by Meryl Streep, Kathy Burke, Brid Brennan, Sophie Thompson and Catherine McCormack), their older brother and priest Jack (Michael Gambon) and Michael (Darrell Johnson), one of the sister's eight-year-old son. Set in the austere times of 1936 in a small town in Donegal, Ireland, the story depicts the heirarchy which exists among the Bundy members, placing the older sister Kate (Streep) --with all her severity of character-- at the top of the ladder of authority. The film, however, is not solely about the conflicts that arise from an imbalance of freedom within the household. Primarily, it focuses on the individual personalities and their respective passions, as well as on the desperate need to cope with an economic breakdown, with Jack's paganistic rituals (which he learned in Africa), and with the sexual repressions Kate strives to hold on to. The story unfolds from the boy's perspective, a strategy which allows for a subjective, unresentful and uncomplicated narration of the youth's perceptions of his family life. In a climactic scene, the spirit of life is celebrated when the sisters join in the ritualistic forces of their internal music which can no longer be kept dormant.		DVD Music Books Search by keywords:
Outstanding Features: Acting Dancing At Lughnasa Movie Review © 1998 Cinephiles - All rights reserved.