Nora (2000) Reviews

This period drama is based on the real-life relationship of the great Irish novelist James Joyce and his longtime lover, Nora Barnacle. Aspiring writer James (Ewan McGregor) meets Nora (Susan Lynch) in Dublin in 1904. While she lacks James' interest in literature, she shares his frustrations about the limitations of life in Ireland, and she encourages him in both his work and in his desire to try his hand in Europe. Nora also shares James' potent sexual appetite, and James finds himself at once thrilled by her enthusiasm for lovemaking and troubled by suspicions that she may be unfaithful to him. When James decides to relocate to Trieste, Nora joins him, and they eventually have two children together, but their relationship is often stormy -- James angrily suspects that Nora is having affairs with his brother Stanislaus (Peter McDonald) and their close friend Roberto (Roberto Citran) as he struggles with his writing and battles censors over his masterwork, Ulysses. However, while they have troubles keeping their relationship together, they find that it's even harder for them to live apart from one another. Ewan McGregor served as both star and co-producer for Nora, which was backed in part by his production company, Natural Nylon Entertainment. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi