Stella Days

Just watched this independent film starring Martin Sheen on Netflix disc with my mom. We both pretty much enjoyed this drama about Sheen as a priest finding himself stuck in Ireland instead of going back to Rome when a bishop inquires him about building a new church. In order to get some funds in order, however, Sheen suggests a cinema which meets some opposition from a politician who decries the "American filth" invading the Irish populace during the not-so-modern '50s timeline as the public is also starting to get used to some electric appliances. There's more to this drama but I'll stop there and just say that while I didn't always know what was going on initially, by the end, I think I understood enough. So on that note, Stella Days is recommended.

Father Daniel Barry (Martin Sheen) hopes to enlighten the masses by opening a movie theatre. It's a '50s small town Ireland where traditions are still paramount. The bishop is eager to built churches, and he's against the immorality of Hollywood. Money is tight, and the collection plate is light.

Martin Sheen's presence is all that's holding up this movie. Stephen Rea plays the bad guy who opposes the theatre for its immorality. There are a few stories about the townfolks. The characters are all rather meek and the actors relatively pedestrian.

If the movie theatre is the driving force, then its climax is utterly underwhelming. I won't spoil it, but it's not much of a climax. Of all the characters/stories/scenes, the most memorable is the old woman who ask Father Barry to bless her electricity. The questions she asked are so poignant, and Martin Sheen's interaction with her is incredible. If the rest of the movie was just as good, then this would be amazing. But it's not and the movie crawl along to a whisper of an ending.

Fr Daniel Barry (Martin Sheen) ,a man of the World having served in America and Rome , who has a passion for Cinema , Music and Language is left to languish in a rural community in Co Tipperary in the 1950's. The Bishop is encouraging his Parish Priests to gather funds to build new churches in every Parish. Fr Barry is more inclined to set up a Cinema in the local hall, going so far as plundering the church building fund to do so. The film has a number of different issues going on, such as the Priest's own doubts about his vocation as he was sent by his parents to the priesthood, the rural electrification of Ireland in the 1950's, the effects of the necessary emigration of young Irish men in that era to send money home to families to survive and the power of the Church and the Politicians in the fledgling Irish State. The cast is a strong one. Martin Sheen , as Fr Barry, is resigned to life in the Village, his only beacons of light being the arrival of a young teacher in the village,( well played by Trystran Gravelle, ) full of encouragement and passion, though this falls apart when he indulges in passions of another king with his young landlady (Marcella Plunkett). Tom Hickey shines out as the Bishop with "A countryman's love of concrete", drooling over his church building project, as does Stephen Rea as the rural Politician with a dedicated opposition to "Hollywood Filth". The main fault of the Film is that it takes on a few too many themes at the same time. Despite that, it is still a worthwhile film. It is a valid look at 1950's Ireland, sometimes sentimental and quite often humorous!

Two stars. This story was a profane look at the Catholic Church. It contained unnecessary language and sexual content, both of which indicate to me a lack of imagination on the part of the writers. There were no virtuous messages gained from this movie. Pictures in the 30s and 40s were able to be captivating without language or sex. Why do modern writers and producers lack the ability to present a story without salacious content. As I was always told, when a person uses vulgarity or obscenity to express themselves, it is an indication that they lack the ability to communicate intelligently.

The priest has no biblical Christian values to share with the audience. Martin Sheen is supposedly a Roman Catholic in real life. He makes the priesthood look like nothing more than a new-age, "god within you" sort of role. He overlooks and actually condones the sexual immorality of a parishioner, and sides with the adulterers as if they are the heroes of the story. The movie uses profanity that I know was not common in the 1950s. Just overall a lackluster, meaningless movie.

I saw this recently in a sneak preview,I was expecting a bit more from the story and the cast but I was disappointed with both.It started off at a slow pace and stayed that way.That is not always a bad thing in a film,some can be wonderful and slow moving for example Spring,Summer,Autumn,Winter and Spring(2003)dir:Ki-duk Kim,but it would have been good to see it get out of 2nd gear.Martin Sheen could have phoned in his performance with the effort he put in to it and Stephen Rea played the part of... Stephen Rea,surprise that. The cinema was half full and it was a free show,which says a lot.People were laughing at a lot of the customs of Irish people and the influence of the church which was at the height of it's power in Ireland at that time.This saddened me as I was born,reared and still live in that land.Go see it if you want to have a look at rural Ireland in 1956 as the production values were excellent and very accurate.The sad thing about a freebie is that you cannot ask for your money back,but in a recession I cant say no as I paid 13.20euros the day before to see Hugo in 3D in the same cinema. J.Lavelle - Dublin,Ireland 2012