SONG OF THE SEA – ANIMATED MOVIE REVIEW

Song of the Sea is an animated drama following Ben and his younger sister, Saoirse, living in an isolated lighthouse with their father, Conor. The film opens with Ben helping his mother and father prepare a nursery for his sister, who has yet to be born. Through disorienting slices of life, Ben’s mother must leave and return to the sea because she is a selkie.

Conor is deeply depressed after his wife died giving birth to Saoirse.

The story focuses on a myth called the Selkie, which if you’ve ever seen The Secret of Roan Inish, is the basis for that movie as well. The selkies live as both seals and humans, and they have a power which animates everything, including other magic like fairies.

Saoirse has a secret, she is a selfie- a mythological creature that can transform from a seal into a human. She finds a special seal coat, which allows her to sing, though she is initially mute.

After being forced to move to the city with their grandmother, the siblings run away to return to their lighthouse home. On their journey, they encounter faerie creatures and the owl witch, Macha, who turns beings into stone to remove their emotions.

Ben overcomes his resentment towards his sister, helping her find her voice and her selfie coat, which allows her to sing a song that frees the creatures and brings their family together.
Song of the Sea proves that sometimes “the things we lose don’t leave. They turn into stories, into songs and into the reason we learn to speak.

Song of the Sea explores the pain of loss and the importance of coping with grief, encouraging the acceptance of difficult emotions. It centres on Ben’s journey from resenting his sister to loving her and helping her on her journey.
Our emotions are our humanity. When we repress them, we are trapped within ourselves, trapped in a fairyland that is foreign to us. Song of the Sea simply wants us to embrace what it is to be human.