Nuala, directed by Patrick Farrelly and Kate O’CallaghanCourtesy Vancouver International Film Festival
When Nuala O'Faolain, The New York Times bestselling author of the memoir Are You Somebody?, found out she was dying, she submitted to an extraordinary radio interview, conducted by her friend Marian Finucane. Poetic, passionate and ruthlessly honest as always, Ms. O'Faolain lamented that the life she had loved so much was done, over as soon as she received the shocking diagnosis, sitting alone in a New York hospital with a pain in her leg. The 2008 interview, which riveted Ireland, forms the foundation of this documentary, which sees Ms. Finucane trace and investigate her friend's life – from her oppressive Irish upbringing to her liberation in New York; her many men, her one long-time female partner, and her great, great love: books. For 90 minutes, Ms. O'Faolain comes back to life, as does the Ireland which changed so radically during her lifetime. You don't need to have read a word Ms. O'Faolain wrote to appreciate this film; she is as captivating in this tribute as she was on the page.
Sept. 27, 6:30 p.m. Granville 5; Sept. 29 12:40 p.m. Granville 5; Oct. 3, 11 a.m. Vancity