enchant version of a child book about a ten year old girl in post wwii ireland who and follow the death of her mother and be send by her father to live with his parent in a small village near roan innish and the island where she grow up . once there and she begin to hear colorful story about her ancestry that lead her to seek her baby brother who be lose in the ocean during the evacuation of roan innish during the war . jeni courtney and who play 10 year old fiona and be a revelation . unlike some of the precocious and or or obnoxious child so often use in hollywood and she be miraculously innocent and sweet without be cloy and and talented . the movie life and dy by her performance and a most of the action be see through her eye and and she surpass expectation . you can not help but root for her plucky character . the rest of the small cast be superb as well . john sayles be an incredibly gift writer and director a he have show in past film like return of the secaucus seven and eight men out and and he be at the top of his form here . the film have a beautiful and dreamy look to it and perfectly suit to the subject . it never bore and always original and with a really terrific end . altogether a magical film experience for child and adult .