Beautifully filmed (and skilfully edited) ethnofiction of dubious veracity. If taken at face value it could easily give the wrong impression of Ireland and probably even the Aran Islands. Of course, the customs filmed are not invented, just anachronistic in some cases. The revival of the shark hunt is quite reminiscent of the revival of the beluga whale hunt on the island of Iles-aux-Coudres in the St. Lawrence in Marcel Carriere and Michel Brault's Pour la suite du monde; both traditions had died out and were revived at the instigation of documentary filmmakers. Of course performance is certainly a part of the documentary process, as is the influence of the camera and crew, but Man of Aran is less than transparent about it. The film's focus remains firmly on a constructed nuclear family engaged in a romantic struggle with nature, to the detriment of all other concerns. Anybody tempted to view the film uncritically--anybody who has seen the film at all, in fact--is advised to check out How the Myth was Made: A Study of Robert Flaherty's Man of Aran (included as a special feature on the Home Vision dvd). Still, in spite of its romanticism, Man of Aran remains an impressive work of myth-making.

I don't get it... boring.

First film to win Mussolini Cup