Based on a true story, this Irish film has the makings of a movie-of-the-week. Orla Brady and Liam Cunningham star as Sheila and Sean, a happily married couple who enjoy a seemingly idyllic existence in a small village. She is Protestant. He is Catholic. While they promise each other they will stand together against the world, during their Catholic wedding ceremony they also pledge to raise their children Catholic ("it seemed like a small price to pay," narrator Sheila recalls), and when their daughters are of age, the local priest, Father Stafford, drops by to ensure that Sheila and Sean make good. But Sheila resents this intrusion into their married life and becomes determined to allow the children to attend a Protestant school. A wedge is driven between the couple, leading Sheila to flee with her daughters to Belfast, and Father Stafford to incite an escalating conflict between the village's Catholics and the "infidels." The acting is excellent, and while the unyielding Sheila's judgment might be questioned, A Love Divided serves up a vivid indictment of intolerance. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a brief interview with actress Orla Brady (just over one minute), a "historical" photo gallery featuring six pictures of the actual Cloney family, and text production information (cast and production interviews, biographies, and story synopses, all in text). Bottom line: a skimpy extras package for a solid film.] (K. Lee Benson)
A Love Divided
New Yorker, 98 min., not rated, VHS: $69.95, DVD: $29.95, July 23 Volume 17, Issue 4
A Love Divided
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