Stella Days

Stella Days is a modest yet deeply stirring Irish drama centered around the early 1960s, directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan and features performances from a commendable cast, including Hollywood veteran Martin Sheen, Irish actor Stephen Rea, and the talented Trystan Gravelle. The movie is based on the novel titled "Stella Days: The Life and Death of an American Theater" – a true story about the erection of a small town movie theatre in Borrisokane, Ireland.

Martin Sheen stars as the lead protagonist, Father Daniel Berry, who serves as a parish priest in the quiet, provincial town of Borrisokane, Ireland. Sheen, known for his strong performance in works like "Apocalypse Now" and "The West Wing," delivers a compelling performance as Father Berry - a learned man disillusioned with his rural surrounds after living in Rome. Father Berry's character is nuanced and complex - a priest who, while faithful, struggles with the strictness of Church doctrine and craves for intellectual companionship in his isolated community.

The story evolves when his superior Bishop Hegarty (Tom Hickey) proposes the establishment of a church cinema to rejuvenate the waning faith in the town and to raise funds for a new church. The cinema – unimaginatively called "Stella Days" – becomes the town's primary source of entertainment and cause for excitement. The question of what films to screen becomes a pressing issue, given the strict religious morality and censorship in that period.

It is at this point that Stephen Rea, playing as a school teacher named Brendan, steps up and becomes the theater's reluctant projectionist. Brendan embodies the spirit of a regular townsperson skeptical of church control - a narrative that sheds light on Irish society's tight-knit bonds and the church's overbearing influence. Stephen Rea's empathetic portrayal of Brendan adds depth to the movie, subtly analyzing the tension between religious conformity and personal integrity.

Trystan Gravelle's character, Tim, a younger school teacher in the town, creates a dynamic friction as the foil to Father Berry, representing a newer generation of thinkers and revolutionaries. Tim's character presents a stark contrast against the rigid and tradition-bound society, adding a layer of intrigue to the narrative.

The storyline is held together by the strife and struggles of Father Berry. His larger dream of igniting the people's intellectual curiosity and spark a renaissance meets with intentional and unintentional hurdles on its way. His passion for authentic cinema and the shared communal experience it provides challenges the conservative norms of the society he is entrenched within.

O’Sullivan’s film also grapples with the debate surrounding cinema's role as either a conduit for moral instruction or a gateway to moral corruption—a debate that has been echoing over decades. This is lucidly articulated in the selection of movies being shown at "Stella Days" and the town's reaction to it.

The film's cinematography deserves special applaud; every frame seems to be painstakingly composed to communicate the bleak and limited visual world of 1950s Ireland. The muted tones and stark landscapes reflect the town's quiet despair and longing for broader horizons. The evocative visuals wonderfully portray Ireland in its different shades, somehow echoing the dualism that runs through the plot.

The film’s score is atmospheric and beautifully composed, enhancing the impact of each scene without overpoweringly dominating the narrative. It delicately lingers in the background, subtly guiding the viewer through the plot's emotional highpoints and low points.

In essence, Stella Days does not merely tell a story about a small-town cinema. By exploring themes of faith, intellectual freedom, and cultural awakening, the movie offers a thoughtful exploration of the microcosm of mid-century Irish society and its relationship with religion, intellectual growth, and global cinema. It is emotionally intelligent, insider-ish, and illuminating, intentionally examining the repressive underbelly of provincial Ireland. All these elements together make Stella Days a sincere and evocative film worth watching.