Review of Dancing at Lughnasa (1998) by Joseph G — 03 Jun 2010

Dancing at Lughnasa is the story of a young boy growing up in a fatherless home with his unmarried mother and four spinster aunts in 1930's Ireland. But then into this comes an elderly brother, a priest too senile to perform his clerical functions, who has come home to die after a lifetime in Africa; as well, there also arrives the boy's father, riding up on a motorcycle, only to announce that he's on his way to Spain to fight against Franco.

Meryl Streep stars as the oldest sister who wants to control the family. She gives another great performance in this film. This is a small film that sometimes is a bit slow but is worth seeing for the brilliant Streep and for the lovely Ireland scenery.