Rent Four Letters of Love (2024)

Saccharine Romantic Drama - Four Letters of Love review by GI

A picture postcard view of Ireland there is no doubt here and the actors give this their all but ultimately this is a somewhat absurd, overly melodramatic romantic drama that pushes the boundaries of reality a little too far. But one could argue this is also a spiritual, magical look at destiny in love. Either way it's a watchable film, that looks great and has a feel good ending. It's the story of two young people, Nicholas (Fionn O'Shea) and Isobel (AnneSkelly) who are destined for love with each other and the film charts their journey towards their ultimate happiness. Nicholas lives with his bohemian artist father (Pierce Brosnan), they have a troubled relationship but Nicholas gradually comes to see his father may have some wisdom of foresight that will be important to his life and this is focused in a painting his father gives away and which Nicholas eventually feels compelled to find. Meanwhile Isobel lives on the coast with her loving parents (Helena Bonham-Carter, Gabriel Byrne). After being expelled from her Catholic school she marries in haste a local man, but the arrival of Nicholas searching for his father's painting begins a chain of emotional events for them both. There's religious undertones here and the film attempts a poetic and almost period feel to its romantic view of life (it is set in the 1970s though). The top notch cast certainly give the film some gravitas but the overly played theme of cosmic forces at work to ensure love reigns supreme is a little syrupy at times.