AllMovie

A young boy struggles to find love and acceptance with his new family in this drama from director Vic Sarin. Tomas (John Bell) is an eight-year-old orphan living in a home for children without parents on an island off the Irish coastline. Tomas has become a target for bullies and knows little peace at the orphanage, so he's overjoyed when he's adopted by Maire O'Donnell (Connie Nielsen), a lovely and caring woman who takes the boy under her wing. However, while Maire shows Tomas plenty of kindness, the same cannot be said for her husband, Alec (Aidan Quinn), who doesn't hide his disappointment with his frail new son. As Tomas tries to understand Alec and live up to his expectations, he finds a baby seal on the beach, and begins caring for the abandoned animal, showing it the compassion he's longed for in his own life. A Shine of Rainbows was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.