The Secret Scripture is a 2016 drama film directed by Jim Sheridan, based on the novel of the same name by Sebastian Barry. The film tells the story of Roseanne McNulty, a woman who has spent most of her life in a mental institution in Ireland. As the institution is about to be demolished, a psychiatrist named Dr. William Grene is assigned to evaluate Roseanne’s mental state and determine whether she can be released. Throughout the film, we are taken on a journey through Roseanne’s past, as she recounts her life story in her secret diary.
The film begins with Roseanne being interviewed by Dr. Grene, who is intrigued by her case and decides to dig deeper into her history. As he reads through her diary, we are transported back to Roseanne’s youth, where we learn about her troubled childhood and her relationship with her father. We also discover that Roseanne had a forbidden love affair with a local man named Michael, which ultimately led to her being sent to the mental institution.
As the film progresses, we see Roseanne’s relationship with Dr. Grene develop, as he becomes more invested in her story and begins to question the validity of her diagnosis. He starts to suspect that Roseanne may not be as mentally ill as she has been made out to be and that there may be more to her story than meets the eye.
Throughout the film, there are several flashbacks to Roseanne’s past, which help to piece together the puzzle of her life. We learn that Roseanne’s father was a strict and abusive man, who had a deep hatred for the British. This hatred was passed down to Roseanne, who became involved in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
As Roseanne’s involvement with the IRA becomes more apparent, Dr. Grene becomes increasingly convinced that her mental illness may have been a result of the trauma she experienced during this time. He begins to question the ethics of keeping her locked up in the institution and wonders if she should be released.
In the final act of the film, Dr. Grene discovers a shocking revelation about Roseanne’s past. He learns that she had a child with Michael, her forbidden lover, and that the child was taken away from her at birth. This revelation shakes Dr. Grene to his core and he becomes determined to find out what happened to the child.
Dr. Grene’s investigation leads him to a local priest, who reveals that the child was given up for adoption and taken to America. Dr. Grene travels to America to find the child, but is met with resistance from the adoptive family, who do not want to disrupt their lives. Despite this setback, Dr. Grene is determined to reunite Roseanne with her long-lost child.
Back in Ireland, Roseanne’s mental state continues to deteriorate as she becomes more and more desperate to be released from the institution. She begins to question her own sanity and wonders if she will ever be free. However, just as all hope seems lost, Dr. Grene returns with news of her child.
In a heartwarming and emotional climax, Roseanne is finally reunited with her daughter, who is now a grown woman with a family of her own. The two women embrace, and Roseanne’s long-held secret is finally revealed to the world. The film ends with Roseanne and her daughter walking hand in hand, finally free from the shackles of the past.
The ending of The Secret Scripture is a bittersweet one. While Roseanne is finally reunited with her daughter and released from the mental institution, it is clear that the years of confinement have taken a toll on her mental and emotional well-being. The film raises important questions about the treatment of mental illness and the impact of trauma on individuals’ lives.
In conclusion, The Secret Scripture is a powerful and thought-provoking film that explores themes of love, loss, and the search for identity. The ending, while satisfying in its resolution, leaves the audience with a sense of sadness for the years of suffering that Roseanne endured. However, it also offers a glimmer of hope, as Roseanne is finally able to find closure and begin a new chapter in her life.
