Secret of the Cave

I am a judge for the Indianapolis-based Heartland Film Festival. This feature film is a Crystal Heart Award Winner and is eligible to be the Grand Prize Winner in October of 2006. The Heartland Film Festival is a non-profit organization that honors Truly Moving Pictures. A Truly Moving Picture "…explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."

Roy, a Seattle-raised young teenager, is dropped off or abandoned for the summer by his distant father in a small, remote, ancestral fishing village in Ireland. Even though the people of the village are warm and friendly, though eccentric, and the landscape is drop-dead gorgeous, Roy is not happy with his situation.

But quickly Roy finds a mystery to solve. The superstitious townspeople believe in ghosts, and even Roy see ghosts – or something like ghosts. Roy vows to "…figure out what's going on around here." The ghosts appear to do good things for the villagers such as dropping off food to the needy, repairing church bells, fixing fishing boats, repairing watches, and more. Who are these ghosts and why are they doing this? The answer seems to revolve around a cave on the edge of the ocean.

With courage and heroism, Roy faces his fears and begins the coming-of-age chapter in his life.

FYI – There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of past Crystal Heart Award winners as well as other Truly Moving Picture Award winners that are now either at the theater or available on video.

The gorgeous Irish sea cliffs are beautifully photographed, and the tiny fishing village is depicted perfectly. What is not so perfect is the story of the "Secret of the Cave". The cave is just sort of an afterthought for most of the film, and really doesn't figure until the conclusion. Eighty percent of the movie involves a really shallow script that plays like an extended Sunday School lesson, trying to unravel some mysterious acts of kindness. If all this sounds boring, it is. Adults will be dozing off after the first fifteen minutes, with the children not far behind. What you are left with is some gorgeous scenery, some kind of a religious message, and a boring movie. - MERK

This is rather a mystery then an adventure Movie.

I am generally careful with movies where the main character is a little boy. There are good ones, like "tom sawyer", where you are with him the whole time, and his actions/reaction make sense. But most of these movies tend to have a mediocre acting main character. They often also have allot of scenes where i find myself thinking "why would he do that/go there/say this?". This movie belongs to this 2nd type.

Do not get me wrong, its a watchable movie, where many side characters are casted and acted great. But it has it long boring parts and there are the "what/why the ..." parts.

What me annoyed the most, is that the frame story is completely unconnected to the main plot, but for some reason it comes back and back into the movie. With no real influence.

(please excuse bad grammar, English is not my native language.)

Secret of the Cave (adapted from the beloved book) is an engaging tale of a young American boy finding mystery, friends, and a better view of life while spending time with some newly discovered relatives in a small town in Ireland.

Emphasizing good moral values, themes of unselfish service, and innocent fun--this movie is a great choice for your family's next movie night.

No particular Christian denomination is portrayed, so no have no worries about being introduced to any controversial theology.

The movie seems to move somewhat slowly, but as you watch it, you gain an appreciation for the gentle pace of life in this village; and it is appropriately echoed in the patient pace of the storyline.

Enjoy.

The story deals with weighty subjects and foreign lands. Toss in mystery and mysterious goings-on and you have "Secret of the Cave."

The parents are having a dispute, and the father has a business meeting, so they pawn their son off on the uncle in Ireland. Before you know it, the kid is wrapped up in a mystery of a dead man that seems to still be doing good deeds.

We follow the clues and try to discover the secrets of the cave with the boy.

In the process, the boy comes of age. And we may learn something useful in our journeys through life. It follows the formula of a Joseph Campbell journey.