Starring: Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, Jon Hamm, Dearbhla Molloy, Christopher Walken, Danielle Ryan
OUR RATING: ★★★½
Story:
Romantic drama written and directed by John Patrick Shanley. Set rural Ireland, where everyone is half-mad with loneliness or love, and the weather is terrible. We follow headstrong farmer Rosemary Muldoon (Emily Blunt), who has her heart set on winning her neighbor, Anthony’s (Jamie Dornan) love. The problem is Anthony seems to have inherited a family curse, and remains oblivious to his beautiful admirer. Stung by his father, Tony’s (Christopher Walken), plans to sell the family farm to his American nephew, Adam (Jon Hamm), Anthony is jolted into pursuing his dreams.
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Tony Reilly: Welcome. Welcome to Ireland. My name’s Tony Reilly. I’m dead. They say, if an Irishman dies while he’s telling a story, you can rest assured, he’ll be back.
Tony Reilly: Once upon a time in Ireland, there were two farms. The Muldoon farm, where Rosemary lives with her mother, Aoife, and her father, Chris, who was at war with the crows. And right down the road, on the sweetest rise of land you ever saw, was my farm, where my wife Mary sang until she conquered the house. And where, upstairs, my son. Anthony asked his lonely question of the stars. Young Anthony: Mother Nature, why did you make me so? Tony Reilly: The real answer was just down the road maybe. Little Rosemary Muldoon. Besotted with love.
Young Rosemary: I have no purpose. I’m just a girl. The world is full of girls. Chris Muldoon: You are not just a girl. You are a queen. Young Rosemary: What kind of queen?
Chris Muldoon: [as he puts on the Swan Lake music] It’s full of swans. And you, Rosemary, for better or for worse, you are the white swan. Young Rosemary: What does it mean to be the white swan? Chris Muldoon: Well, it means no one can stop you. The world is yours. You can do anything.
Tony Reilly: Muldoon didn’t leave the Reillys much. Two gates to open and a sky full of rain.
Anthony: Will you take a stout? Aoife Muldoon: In the bottle or the can? Anthony: The bottle. Aoife Muldoon: No thanks. The bottle tastes of glass. Anthony: Does glass have a taste then? Aoife Muldoon: It does. Glass tastes like teeth.
Anthony: Where’s Rosemary? Aoife Muldoon: Outside. Anthony: In the rain? Aoife Muldoon: She won’t smoke in front of me, and she’s always smoking. So I never see her. Tony Reilly: That’s her. Stubborn.
Aoife Muldoon: [referring to Rosemary] She’s crazy. The cracked ones never get sick. Anthony: Crazy? Never noticed that. Aoife Muldoon: That’s because you never notice anything, Anthony. You’re famous across Ireland for what goes by you. Anthony: Famous. As if.
Anthony: What do you mean, you don’t know if the farm comes to me? Tony Reilly: I don’t see a clear path. Anthony: From where to where? Tony Reilly: From me to you.
Tony Reilly: You take after John Kelly, and that man was mad as the full moon. Drowned himself, in the Royal Canal. Anthony: He fell in. Tony Reilly: He had a rock tied to his neck! Anthony: I’m not a Kelly!
Tony Reilly: You’re not a farmer, that’s what you’re not. Aoife Muldoon: Ah, now, Tony. Tony Reilly: You don’t stand on the land and draw strength from it. As I did. Till mammy died. You’d rather read your goddamn magazines. Aoife Muldoon: Easy now. Anthony: Don’t criticize me, daddy. Some of us don’t have joy, but we do what we must. Is a man who does what he must, but feels no pleasure, less of a man than one who’s happy?
Anthony: [referring to his cow] He thinks we’re talking about him. Rosemary: Well, men always think the subject’s number one.
Aoife Muldoon: Are you seriously begrudging Anthony the farm? Tony Reilly: I gave him his mother’s ring three years since. He’s done nothing with it. He’s a bachelor to the bone. Aoife Muldoon: You’re going the wrong way. Tony Reilly: This is my family’s farm a hundred and twenty-one years. It won’t stop with Anthony. Aoife Muldoon: Things end when God says they do.
Anthony: Where do we go when we die? The sky? Rosemary: The ground. Anthony: Then what’s the sky for? Rosemary: It’s for now. The sky is for now.
Rosemary: We should go. Anthony: Right. Rosemary: And you’d let me go, wouldn’t you? Anthony: Well, you said you were going. Rosemary: Don’t you know better than to listen to people?
Rosemary: Who is that? Anthony: It’s Bad News Cleary. Rosemary: Why do you call him that? Anthony: Because he only brings bad news.
Tony Reilly: That piece of land that blocks me from the road, sell it back to me. Aoife Muldoon: You only have to open the gates. Tony Reilly: Have you gotten out of my car, in the rain, and drowned yourself working those damn gates? Aoife Muldoon: It rains on us all.
Aoife Muldoon: Chris Muldoon signed that strip of dirt between the gates over to Rosemary when she was not more than ten years of age. Tony Reilly: He gave a ten-year-old girl my right of way? Aoife Muldoon: She’d have it, and I can tell you why. It was the spot where Anthony pushed her down. Anthony: Me? Tony Reilly: You pushed a little girl? Anthony: I did not. When? Aoife Muldoon: When she was ten! You did it! And you’re banished from that spot.
Rosemary: Who were you talking to? Anthony: I wasn’t talking. Rosemary: You looked to be talking, then swatting, then you jumped in. Anthony: I did not. It’s the Kellys that jump in. I’m a Reilly.
Anthony: I hear a voice sometimes when I’m out here, and the voice says, “Go.” Rosemary: Go? Do you not love the farm? Anthony: Love? Sure hate it for a prison. Came up out of it like a tree, and here I am with it around me.
Anthony: There’s these green fields, and the animals living off them. And over that there’s us, living off the animals. And over that there’s that which tends to us, and lives off us maybe. Whatever that is, it holds me here. You should go. Once you’re on your own you should sell the farm, leave Ireland entirely. Rosemary: Why? Anthony: It’s a terrible place for a decent person. Rosemary: Are you not decent? Anthony: Me? I’m mad.
Rosemary: [referring to Anthony] “There’s the green fields, and the animals living off them.” Oh, when he says those things, Blister, I know I must have him. God help me.
Anthony: Rosemary, it seems like maybe we should marry. Rosemary, we’re known to each other quite a while now. [we see he’s practicing in front of a donkey] Anthony: No doubt you could do better, but, well, you don’t seem to be doing much, so will you have me? Damn it, is that not enough for you? Alright, seems like you won’t be satisfied until I’m on my knee. Would you marry me? [Cleary laughs as he watches] Cleary: So it’s true. You have the Kelly madness.
Anthony: He’s selling the farm to Adam. Rosemary: Well, then go and face the old fool down! Anthony: I don’t like a fight. Rosemary: Well, who does? Anthony: Half of Ireland. Just not me!
Rosemary: Well, if you want to talk to me about these gates, you’ll talk to me about Anthony. Tony Reilly: What there is to say, I won’t say. Rosemary: You’ve kept him down with the promise of this farm. Tony Reilly: Not a word of truth. Rosemary: Don’t cross me, Tony Reilly.
Tony Reilly: Are you in love with Anthony? Rosemary: It’s more than love. Tony Reilly: Don’t be.
Tony Reilly: [referring to Anthony] He’s not normal! Rosemary: I don’t care! Tony Reilly: He’ll never marry. Rosemary: Well, then neither will I, and he will be in his house, and I’ll be in mine.
Tony Reilly: Anthony will never marry. Rosemary: Oh, he will. Tony Reilly: Wake up! Look to yourself. Rosemary: If it comes to that, I’ll freeze my eggs! Tony Reilly: You’ll what? Rosemary: I’ll freeze my eggs. If he’s slow, I’ll wait. Tony Reilly: You should freeze your whole body, if you’re waiting for that one! Rosemary: I believe he will come to me.
Anthony: [after he looses his mother’s wedding ring] Tony. You’re right. I’ll never marry. It’s your land. You do what you like. I’ll manage.
Tony Reilly: I’m only trying to do what’s right. Aoife Muldoon: For who? Tony Reilly: The farm. Aoife Muldoon: The farm doesn’t know a thing about right, and it won’t know. Do you know why my husband went to war with the crows, Tony? He was shaking his fist. We’d lost a child. A boy. And he was shaking his fist. You have your children, and you’ve had your life. Do you want more than that from God?
Eleanor: What time is it? Anthony: It’s so late, it’s early.
Uncle Frank: Still doing with the two gates? Anthony: We are. Uncle Frank: Why? Anthony: History. There’s a lot of history in Ireland.
Uncle Frank: How’s Aoife? Tony Reilly: She’s falling apart. Anthony: Her heart. Tony Reilly: And her legs and lungs. Blind in one eye.
Adam: Anthony, that is a Rolls-Royce. Anthony: A Rolls-Royce. Can you believe the sound of the words, Da? A Rolls-Royce. Tony Reilly: It’s the finest car I’ve ever seen.
Adam: [referring to Anthony] Jesus. What’s he doing? Rosemary: He got himself a metal detector. Adam: Huh. Did he lose something? Rosemary: No, he’s just shy. Adam: I guess that’s one word for it.
Adam: I’m all about numbers. I manage money for a living. Rosemary: Oh, does money need you to manage it? Adam: I’m not sure.
Adam: [referring to Antony] You seem set. Waiting for that one? Rosemary: I don’t know. I don’t know. What are you waiting for? Adam: Me, I don’t wait. Rosemary: I do like that. Adam: Then you should come to New York sometime.
Adam: I’ve heard he’s fallen in love with a donkey. Rosemary: Well, you heard wrong! Adam: I’m sorry. I don’t understand you people. You just seem to accept these crazy things. Like that gate situation, and… Rosemary: And what? Adam: Loneliness.
Adam: So how many acres do you have exactly? Anthony: I don’t know. Adam: How does nobody know how many acres they have? Anthony: We’re not a direct people, you know.
Anthony: Do you want to be a farmer then? Adam: Yeah. Anthony: No, you don’t. You want to own a farm. It’s not the same. Adam: I could be a farmer. Anthony: Wake up. You’re no farmer. It would be a bloody farce. Adam: Maybe you’ve been a farmer too long.
Anthony: You been talking to Cleary? What did he say? Adam: Something about you and a donkey. Anthony: I’m going to kill that man one day. The world will thank me for it.
Tony Reilly: I can’t sell you the farm. Adam: Listen, Tony. Even if I have to put up with the gates, I’m still interested. Tony Reilly: No. God would fault me. Adam: [referring to Anthony and Rosemary] Is it those two? Tony Reilly: I don’t know what they’re going to do, but I can’t be the reason they’re apart.
Tony Reilly: I’m sorry to be leaving you, Anthony. Anthony: Don’t say it. Tony Reilly: I’m sorry. It’s a lonely spot here, and it’ll be hard to face the morning when I’m gone. Anthony: Jesus. Tony Reilly: The farm is yours now. I’m sorry to be leaving it to you not as it was given me.
Tony Reilly: Listen, son. Your mam. I didn’t love her. Anthony: What are you saying? Tony Reilly: Truth. The loneliness had gotten into me, and I don’t know why she said yes. I walked by her half the time without so much as a nod. She bore me children. Trish, Audrey, you. I felt nothing. Till one day something gave way. Out in the fields in the wet grass, the quiet hand of God touched me. Something came to save me, son. And it’ll come for you too. I can’t name the day the rain let up. The sun shone on me. And I started in singing. Just like that. That old song. Mam’s song.
Tony Reilly: Can you forgive me, Anthony? Anthony: For what? Selling the right of way? It’s nothing. Tony Reilly: For having no faith. That you’d find your own way, be your own man. Am I proud of you too late, son?
Anthony: I don’t want you to die. Tony Reilly: I’m sorry I sold that bit by the road and left you with two gates. And that I thought of taking the rest from you. However I hurt you, I want to die with a clean slate between us. Anthony: Surely, I forgive everything. Tony Reilly: I love you, son. I can’t say it enough. [Anthony embraces Tony] Anthony: I love you, my daddy. My daddy, my daddy. Sure I always have.
Tony Reilly: You are a good son. Anthony: Thanks, Da. Tony Reilly: I have faith that love will find you out in those fields where you wander. God bless you. Anthony: And you.
Anthony: That’s the world now. Men are useless. Rosemary: That’s not so. Anthony: What? Rosemary: Men aren’t useless. Anthony: What’s a man for now? What’s his place? Rosemary: That’s for you to say. Anthony: And I’m not talking. Maybe the quiet around a thing is as important as the thing itself.
Rosemary: Do you still hear the voice in the fields? Anthony: I don’t know. Rosemary: It’s not a modern idea. Anthony: Well, I’m not a modern man.
Rosemary: Are you happy? Anthony: No. Rosemary: Why not go ahead, be happy? Anthony: I don’t know how. Rosemary: There is no one left to catch you laughing, Anthony. Anthony: True.
Rosemary: How many days do we have while the sun shines? Anthony: It’s not shining. Rosemary: I believe that it is.
Rosemary: I see you put this gate between us. Anthony: I did. Rosemary: Why? Anthony: I’ve been having such dreams. Dreaming about everyone who ever lived. Rosemary: That’s a lot. Anthony: Ancestors, and more. The whole circus. The history of people. And me at the front, like the leader of some marching band. Jesus, I sat up in me bed. Didn’t know what to make of it. Here I am, alone as a castaway, and my night is spilling over with people.
Rosemary: [after she arrives in New York] It’s like teeth, isn’t it? Adam: Come again. Rosemary: The buildings look like teeth.
Adam: I have to say, you looked like an absolute goddess today watching that ballet. Rosemary: She protected him. Adam: Who? The bird? Rosemary: The white swan. Adam: You’re the white swan. Rosemary: How did you know? Adam: I was joking. Rosemary: I am though.
Adam: Listen, Rosemary, I’m from the school of thought where it’s best not to let romantic ideas ruin your life. Rosemary: Who’s doing that? Adam: You? Rosemary: But my head’s a lot harder than yours. Adam: Right, but if you want to be happy, you have to be a little more realistic.
Adam: I mean, I’m not so sure about love, but marriage is a practical partnership. “Who’s going to take out the trash?” That kind of thing. Rosemary: What marriage? Adam: Do you want to be married? Rosemary: Is that a proposal? Adam: No. I mean in general. Do you want to be married? Rosemary: I suppose. Adam: Me too.
Adam: Anthony, however, I don’t think he’s the marrying kind. Rosemary: How would you know? Adam: Because you’re right there. You are right next door. And nothing happened. Rosemary: I’m not next door now. Adam: No, you are not. And I find that very promising.
Rosemary: Have you ever had a dream, like since you were a child, and you couldn’t let it go? Adam: Sure. Rosemary: What did you do? Adam: I let it go. Rosemary: Why? Adam: Because the kinds of dreams kids have make adults miserable. Rosemary: Like a banker dreaming of being a farmer? Adam: Sure. But let me ask you this. Has your dream made you happy, or miserable?
Rosemary: [after Adam kisses her] Oh, my God. What did you do? Adam: You know exactly what I did. And now being the gentleman that I am, I’m going to walk you back to your hotel.
Maeve: [as she sees Adam reading about farming] You’re not an Irish farmer though. Adam: How do you know? Maeve: Well, for one thing, you don’t look tired enough. And for another, your hands don’t look like feet. Adam: Okay, well, everyone has a fantasy, and mine is farming. What? Maeve: Most men’s fantasies aren’t about farms.
Anthony: Is it a bad time? Rosemary: Well, what time isn’t? You know, if it weren’t for rare signs from heaven, I’d have nothing in me mind but doom. Anthony: Rare signs from heaven, is it? Rosemary: And few they are.
Rosemary: You’re three quarters drowned. Here’s a towel. Anthony: I have a handkerchief. Rosemary: Jesus God. How long has that been in your pocket? Anthony: I don’t know. Rosemary: It’s half alive. Here. Give it. I’ll wash it, if it doesn’t jump up and run.
Adam: Why do you make everything so hard? Maeve: Me? Adam: Well, not you specifically. The Irish. It’s like they never can really, you know, seize the day, make a move. Maeve: Well, it’s an island, you know? You got to be careful. You don’t want to call attention to yourself. Adam: Well, see, I like attention. Maeve: Of course you do. You’re an American.
Anthony: [referring to the bottle of Guinness] Sit down and share it, or I won’t touch it. Rosemary: Oh, look at you. You are a demon tempting me with a drink.
Anthony: Jesus, have you got a rope? It’s a perfect day to be hanging yourself. Rosemary: Don’t joke. Do you think about it? Anthony: What? No. Why? Do you think about it? Rosemary: Suicide? I think of little else. Anthony: You’re not serious.
Anthony: [referring to the shotgun] Why do you keep it? Rosemary: Against the depression. Anthony: What? You’re depressed? Rosemary: Are you serious? I’m shattered with depression. I’m shattered with black clouds of depression. Anthony: But why? Rosemary: Since I quit the cigarettes.
Rosemary: I’ve thought of taking poison. I can’t stand being alive. It’s like a kettle boiling blood that comes up into me. You know, all these feelings. Anthony: Jesus, your own blood turning against you. I can see it. Rosemary: Is it that plain?
Rosemary: It’s only the rare signs from heaven that give me hope. Anthony: What you’ve got is anxiety. That’s what it is. Rosemary: Is that the name for it? Anthony: Sure. It comes over me in waves. It’s nothing. Rosemary: It’s feelings boiling up, isn’t it? Anthony: Sure, I hate them. Feelings are useless. Rosemary: I think it’s worse in a man. I can’t stand a man with feelings. Anthony: Oh, a man with feelings should be put down!
Anthony: I believe Adam is coming from America in search of a wife. Rosemary: That seems a long way to come. Anthony: He has an idea that an Irish woman would be made of better stuff than these girls he meets in America.
Anthony: [referring to Adam] I was thinking that maybe I might let him take a look at you. Rosemary: Take a look at me in what way? Anthony: Your beauty. Rosemary: My beauty. Well, this is the first I’ve heard about beauty. Anthony: Oh, don’t pretend you don’t know. Rosemary: Do you want to put me in a shop window, like one of those Euro floozies in Amsterdam?
Rosemary: Why would you try to give me away to your cousin? Anthony: It’s a solid idea. He’s a fine lad. He’s rich. Rosemary: So what? Anthony: So what? Well, don’t you want to be rich? Rosemary: No. I want a man!
Anthony: Adam’s a man. Rosemary: Adam smells like soap. He smells like the lilies of the field. Anthony: Why do you want to smell the cows on me, when you can smell the lilies on him? Rosemary: I’m the one who should smell good. A man should stink. Like you! Anthony: Oh, well, thanks for that!
Rosemary: Men are beasts. They need that height to balance the truth and the goodness of women. Anthony: There’s no answer to blather like that. Rosemary: Hope, it’s a force, and women are the salvation of the world. I believe that. I mean to make you believe it. Anthony: I’d like to believe it.
Rosemary: You should have come for yourself. Anthony: No. Rosemary: I thought maybe it was the cigarettes put you off, so I quit. Anthony: You did that with regards to me? Rosemary: I did. Brought me to my knees. I can tell you, my emotions were unspeakable, Anthony. Unspeakable. I was desperate.
Anthony: You went to New York City for one day? Rosemary: And I kissed Adam. Anthony: You what?! Rosemary: I kissed him. I kissed him. I kissed him.
Rosemary: Have you ever wondered what I wore when I wore less? Anthony: You’ve lost me. Rosemary: Have you seen me naked in your mind? Anthony: Oh, Jesus Christ, Rosemary. Naked? Shut up with that. I see you at church.
Rosemary: You say I’m beautiful. So have you thought about me? Have you thought about my shape? Anthony: I don’t know. Rosemary: Have you thought about picking me up and carrying me off to the moon? Anthony: No.
Anthony: You kissed him! Rosemary: It was he that kissed me! Anthony: That’s what got him worked up! That’s why he’s coming!
Rosemary: Time is running out. Now you tell me your secret, Anthony. Anthony: I told Fiona, and she ran like Satan. I am off-kilter. It doesn’t matter how. Rosemary: Is it because you hate people? Anthony: No, I don’t hate no one. Rosemary: You can’t shock me. I have thought of everything. I’ve made my peace with it.
Anthony: I believe that I am a honey bee. Rosemary: Say that again. Anthony: I believe that I am a honey bee.
Rosemary: I don’t believe it. You don’t think you’re a honey bee! You’re having me on. You do? How long? Anthony: I don’t know! I think that I’m a honey bee. I always have! Rosemary: You are Anthony Reilly. Anthony: Whatever I am, God knows me. Rosemary: Is this why you never told me I was beautiful? Anthony: Well, that and the nearness of your farm to mine. And it’s true. Bees don’t like smoke.
Rosemary: I don’t care if you think you’re a bee, Anthony. You think you’re a bee! I mean, you think you’re a bee! You think you’re a bee! Anthony: Would you keep your eyes on the road! Rosemary: Never mind! I don’t care! I’m half dying with living for you.
Rosemary: Do you think I’m a bee? Anthony: No. Rosemary: May I know what I am? Anthony: You’re a flower. The most beautiful bloom that grows. Rosemary: Do you really think that? Anthony: Yes.
Rosemary: Anthony, you are good for me. Anthony: No, I’m a disgrace! We’ll get Adam. You’ve already kissed him. Rosemary: He kissed me! Anthony: You’ll marry and go to America!
Rosemary: Have you never thought to marry me yourself? Anthony: I have. Rosemary: What stopped you? Anthony: I came to your house, and when I looked for my mam’s ring, sure I’d lost it altogether. Rosemary: Is that what you’ve been doing with that metal detector? Looking for your mother’s ring? Anthony: The fact that I lost it said it all. A man like me should not marry.
Rosemary: Everybody thinks they’re something they’re not. Anthony: But not a bee!
Rosemary: Tell me, standing on this holy land of Ireland, why shouldn’t you marry me? Anthony: I see things! I’m delusional! For the love of God, woman, I think I’m a bug! Rosemary: So what? Sometimes I think I’m a house cat. Anthony: You do not! Rosemary: But I don’t stay with it. Because I know I’m a swan. Anthony: You do not literally think you’re a swan. Rosemary: I do. Does that make me useless as a wife?
Rosemary: Just give us a chance. Anthony: If it was meant to be, I’d have found the ring. Rosemary: We say what’s meant. Life is here. We name it.
Rosemary: Look at me. Look how I look at you. Anthony: I don’t know if I can live shut in a house with a woman. Rosemary: You can have the winds and the fields. You just think of me as the open door. And here, fool. You can have your ring too. Anthony: What’s this? Rosemary: Found it by my gate. Anthony: My mother’s ring. Rosemary: Thought it heaven-sent to give me hope.
Rosemary: What do I have to do? Do I have to swat at you to get you to sting me? Anthony: I’m afraid! Rosemary: Of what? Anthony: Of love. Rosemary: Just think of the pleasure. Take your ring. Anthony: Sure it’s yours. It always was. [he kisses her]
Anthony: [as he picks Rosemary up in his arms] That’s it! Rosemary: What are you doing? Anthony: Look up that hill. Rosemary: What? Anthony: There’s a bit of light up there. And I don’t know about you, but I’m goddamned tired of living in the rain.
Rosemary: I’m mad too, you know. Anthony: How are you mad? Rosemary: You’ll find out, when it’s too late. Anthony: Will you take down the gates? Rosemary: Never!
Anthony: [to Rosemary] The voice I heard in the fields, it didn’t say, “Go.” Not just that. It said, “Go to her.”
Tony Reilly: They say if an Irishman dies while he’s telling a story, you can rest assured, he’ll be back.
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