Parents' Guide to Four Letters of Love

This confident adaptation of Niall Williams' global bestseller retains a strong literary slant, centering various characters' love of art, poetry, and writing alongside their search for meaning. Williams also wrote the screenplay for Four Letters of Love, and the use of voice-over and snippets taken word-for-word from his own book give the film a dreamlike quality, as though existing in a frozen, imaginary space in time. The cinematography gazes out over the wildness of the countryside and the endlessness of the sea, and creative framing and lighting maintains that otherworldly feel. Where the movie excels even further is in its acting, the big names—Bonham Carter, Brosnan, and Byrne—all pulling in heartfelt performances, while up-and-comers Skelly and O'Shea prove themselves captivating screen partners. Skelly (Rose Plays Julie) in particular is full of a magnetic energy that's difficult to look away from. It's a film that's charming but not slight, serious but not without humor, and it has a rambling quality yet is somehow still full of magnetic energy.