THAT THEY MAY FACE THE RISING SUN, the critically acclaimed 2024 Irish film adaptation, has achieved a remarkable 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and recently claimed the prestigious Best Irish Film award at the IFTA Awards (Ireland’s equivalent of the Oscars).

The film, which has just been added to BBC iPlayer, masterfully adapts John McGahern’s final novel. Set in the 1980s, it follows Joe (Barry Ward) and Kate Ruttledge (Anna Bederke), a couple who leave London behind to embrace life in a tranquil Irish lakeside community near Joe’s childhood home.

What makes the film’s success particularly noteworthy is director Pat Collins’s bold artistic choice to maintain the novel’s unconventional “anti-novel” approach. Rather than introducing artificial drama, Collins preserved McGahern’s original vision of a story stripped of traditional plot devices. This innovative approach, focusing on the quiet rhythm of rural life through “the rituals of work, play and the passing seasons,” has resonated strongly with critics and audiences alike.

The film’s triumph challenges conventional filmmaking wisdom, proving that a “lyrical celebration of the everyday” can captivate viewers without relying on dramatic plot points. Collins’s faithful adaptation honors McGahern’s original intention, expressed to the Observer in 2005, of “taking drama out” to create something dramatically powerful in its very absence.

This artistic gamble has paid off magnificently, with the film now garnering international attention through its BBC iPlayer release, marking a significant achievement for Irish cinema and demonstrating the enduring appeal of thoughtful, contemplative storytelling.