Annual Top Films Lists

2015 Top 100 Foreign Titles: #85. Jim Sheridan’s The Secret Scripture

Published on January 5, 2015

The Secret Scripture

Director: Jim Sheridan// Writers: Johnny Ferguson, Jim Sheridan

In light of his recent titles, it’s hard to forget that Jim Sheridan started out with My Left Foot back in 1989, and went on to work with Daniel Day-Lewis in two more superb roles. In 2004, Sheridan saw a resurgence with the success of In America, but a string of intriguing choices afterwards all seemed to fail, including the 50 cent headlined Get Rich or Die Tryin’, an unwise remake of Susanne Bier’s Brothers, and a supernatural thriller that was subjected to studio interference, Dream House. We’re thinking The Secret Scripture, based on the novel by Sebastian Barry and set to film in Ireland, will be a comeback worth anticipating, as it features a strong cast led by Rooney Mara. The film’s focus is a woman and her diary during an extended stay at a mental hospital.

Cast: Rooney Mara, Theo James, Vanessa Redgrave, Eric Bana

Producer: Ferndale Films’ Noel Pearson (Dancing at Lughnasa)

U.S. Distributor: Relativity Media

Release Date: Without a distributor already attached, we’re thinking this will hit Fall Festivals to pick up buzz, depending on the length of the shoot, which is supposedly set to commence in Ireland.

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.