LOVE AND SAVAGERY (Canada/Ireland 2009) ***
Directed by John N. Smith

LOVE AND SAVAGERY is a heartfelt realistic love story about the trials of true love.  It feels all so real even for love as first sight as director John N. Smith takes his development of his tale on romance with time and care.

Set mainly in County Clare, West Ireland where poet and geologist Michael (Allan Hawko) meets local barmaid Cathleen O’Connell (Sarah Greene).  Michael’s study of rocks is an excuse for director Smith to shoot many magnificent shots of the Irish rugged coast.  The payoff is well worth it.  LOVE AND SAVAGERY contains some of the most majestic segments, especially those with the huge waves crashing on the rocky shores.

Hawko and Greene make a credible pair.  Recruited from Ireland and Newfoundland where they are from, their accents sound authentic enough.  Smith captures the eccentricities of a small village, especially with the visit of an unwelcome intruder.  The script, based on the novel by Des Walsh and written by him puts sufficient emphasis on the romance with a minimum of distractions from subplots.

LOVE AND SAVAGERY is an adult romantic fluff – perfect as a date movie with the added bonus of beautiful shots of great scenery of Ireland.