neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Evelyn
	Bruce Beresford Pierce Brosnan, Aidan Quinn, Julianna Margulies, Stephen Rea, John Lynch, Sophie Vavasseur, Alan Bates 2002		Pierce Brosnan, best known to moviegoers as dashing Agent 007, escapes Bond-age to give the most emotionally resonant performance of his career in "Evelyn." This moving drama, based on a true story, details the struggle of devoted Irish father Desmond Doyle (Brosnan) to regain custody of his three small children — Evelyn, Maurice and Dermot — when his wife deserts the family in 1953. Despite Doyle's sincere efforts to procure work and fend for his brood, the church and courts team up to take the kids and toss them into orphanages. But Doyle won't stop fighting against near-insurmountable odds. Encouraged by a local woman (Julianna Margulies) who takes a shine to him, Doyle retains a skeptical solicitor (Stephen Rea) to fight the establishment. They're aided by a savvy American lawyer (Aidan Quinn) and an obstinate, retired law professor (Alan Bates). The cast, including precocious 9-year-old Sophie Vavasseur as Evelyn, is exceptional. The script isn't afraid to head for the corn fields, nor is its Australian director Bruce Beresford ("Driving Miss Daisy"), but the actors engender your trust and make you believe.