Four Letters of Love

"Love in Four Letters" is a romantic drama set in 1970s Ireland that follows Nicholas and Isabel, two young people destined to meet despite life's efforts to keep them apart. The mystical revelation that drives Nicholas's father to abandon his routine to dedicate himself to painting disrupts the family's tranquility; at the same time, a tragedy shakes Isabel's world and distances her from her loved ones. Amid faith, art, and painful decisions, both grow against the current until chance — or something more — crosses their paths again and forces them to question what it means to choose love when it is no longer simple.

Directed by Polly Steele and based on the eponymous novel by Niall Williams, the film relies on intimacy: sustained glances, heavy silences, and a nature that seems to speak to the characters. Fionn O'Shea and Ann Skelly embody the lead couple with a mix of vulnerability and composure, supported by a stellar trio: Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Gabriel Byrne. The cast also includes Pat Shortt, Dónal Finn, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Olwen Fouéré, and Jonathan French, among others.

On screen, O'Shea is Nicholas and Skelly is Isabel; Brosnan plays William Coughlan, Bonham Carter portrays Margaret Gore, and Byrne takes on the role of Muiris Gore, figures that embody the weight — and support — of family in the protagonists' lives.

With cinematography that embraces rugged landscapes and a score that captures desire, loss, and hope, "Love in Four Letters" is an invitation to believe — without naivety — in the possibility of a reunion. A story for those who think that destiny is written, yes, but also decided, and that sometimes love needs more than a miracle: it needs courage.