Sent to live with her grandparents in a quaint coastal Irish town, 10-year-old Fiona (Jeni Courtney) is fascinated by the village's rich folk culture--especially the local myths about a half-human, half-seal creature known as a selkie. Fiona becomes convinced that her supposedly deceased little brother is living with the selkies, and she travels to the beautiful, enchanted island of Roan Inish, where her grandparents once lived, to confirm her suspicions.

Based on the book SECRET OF RON MOR SKERRY by Rosalie K. Fry, the film is the first John Sayles picture shot outside the United States. Although the magical realism of the film may seem like a departure for Sayles, who is known for gritty slice-of-life dramas, he has covered fantastic elements before (BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET), and has dealt extensively with the theme of returning to one's roots (BABY IT'S YOU, RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN, and PASSION FISH). The film will particularly appeal to children and adults who grew up listening to stories rather than watching them on television, and the special effects--including a magical transformation of a seal into a woman--are meant to replicate the imagination of a rural child unfamiliar with the excesses of mass media. With its gorgeous photography and perfectly paced storytelling, THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH stands as one of the finest folklore-based films ever made.