Cal

Cal, played by John Lynch in a very impressive film debut, is an unemployed 19 year-old Catholic who is unwillingly drawn into the dangerous and violent world of the IRA, becoming an accomplice in the murder of a Protestant policeman. When he gets a job on the lonely farm where the dead man’s widow Marcella, played flawlessly by Helen Mirren, lives with her in-laws, Cal finds himself drawn to her. It is the start of a passionate affair between the guilt-ridden youth and the unhappy woman, a moving romance that ultimately ends in tragedy. This compelling story gains considerably in its dramatic impact from the superbly realized background of the bitter sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. Based on the original novel by Bernard MacLaverty and featuring the beautifully haunting music of Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits).