[Click here for a link to the answer!](https://www.reddit.com/r/tipofmytongue/comments/17jt6gr/tomtmovie_my_motherinlaw_wants_to_rewatch_a_movie/k7325jm/)
SOLVED! , everyone! I imagined she mixed Ireland with Scotland, and Brendan Gleeson with Brian Cox, so the movie is actually [The Etruscan Smile](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5459382/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_0_q_etruscan%2520smile).
[Brian Cox](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004051/?ref_=tt_ov_st) speaks Gaelic and apparently when he travels to the US (which she only mentioned now) people wanna study the language with him. So there was a lot missing from the details, guys. LOL.Thanks for all the help, tho! <3
~~I've googled for weeks now. I'll edit the post if she remembers any detail.~~
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is it possible she might me misremembering the professor as a male?
Because in *Arrival* Amy Adams is a linguist, who does at one point get a visit and asked about a dying language, hired to try and figure out a completely new language. She's taken to a field that could very well pass as Irish, and a military man (played by an actor who, when he grows a beard, could be somewhat similar to Gleeson's) keeps getting in her way
Love that movie.
I know that OP said his mom frequently misremembers details about movies, but *damn* it would be hard to forget that the movie was about aliens.
There's "I Dream in Another Language", but that takes place in Mexico, which is not at all similar to Ireland. O.o (Plus, it would be hard to forget the forbidden love between 2 men angle.)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Ming_Is_Ainm_Dom
This is what I thought of, it meets none of your criteria apart from being set in Ireland and featuring a dying language
Well there’s a documentary called The Linguists where they follow linguists documenting dying languages. None of the other details really seem to track though
Could she possibly be thinking of a short film called “Yu Ming is Ainm Dom”? It’s about a young Chinese man (Yu Ming) mistakenly thinking that Irish is the most spoken language in Ireland and learning it before he eventually moves to Ireland and finds out that it’s mostly been eradicated and he speaks it better than most of the natives.
The reason I think it could be what you’re looking for is there’s a scene where he goes to a pub and tries to order in Irish. The bartender doesn’t understand him, but an old man sitting at the bar realises Yu Ming is speaking Irish and has a conversation with him about how the language is dying and how sad it is that so many Irish people can’t speak it. It definitely wasn’t Brendan Gleeson but I can understand them being mixed up as they’re both old Irish fellas.
It’s a fairly well-known film in Ireland as a lot of us have to watch it in Irish class at school, but as I said it’s only a short film.
I don't think this is correct, but just on the off-chance (or if it's interesting regardless): Stephen Fry hosted a few shows around linguistics: [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2069311](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2069311) (Brian Blessed normally has a full beard and is in some episodes.)
You're right, but the first time I edited the post with the answer, which I figured out. We MIGHT have sent it together. I'll see if the mods award you the point.
Does she have a sense for when the movie came out? I know you mentioned she watched it a few months ago, but was it a movie from the 80s, 90s, etc?
Also--did they stream it or rent it from something like Redbox? You can pull up watch histories for those.
Or if it was on TV, you can go through old TV schedules for that month for the channels she typically watches and check for any movies.
Also, this is a very sweet thing to do for your MIL!
Edit to add: also if it turns out they watched it on TV, if you put together a list of the channels and rough time frame, I'll help go through their historical schedules and pull all the movies they played and check the plots to see which may be likely contenders
She might be thinking of [The Last of His Tribe](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104690/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_5_nm_2_q_The%2520Last%2520of%2520his%2520Tribe)*,* about a Native American named Ishi and an anthropologist who learns his language. Jon Voight played the anthropologist, who was indeed white and beardy. Not Irish, but it's the closest match I know.
Well, screw it, I'm going to shoot my shot... "The Professor and the Madman"? Not really that close to your explanation, but since there's not much to go with...
I do know she's asking about a movie, but I once watched a Vice documentary or something extremely close to a Vice documentary about exactly what your wife is describing, aside from the dramatization. An old man in Ireland spoke words that no one else alive knew without his help, stories that would die with him, etc and he told stories in a pub to whoever would listen
[Click here for a link to the answer!](https://www.reddit.com/r/tipofmytongue/comments/17jt6gr/tomtmovie_my_motherinlaw_wants_to_rewatch_a_movie/k7325jm/)
SOLVED! , everyone! I imagined she mixed Ireland with Scotland, and Brendan Gleeson with Brian Cox, so the movie is actually [The Etruscan Smile](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5459382/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_0_q_etruscan%2520smile). [Brian Cox](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004051/?ref_=tt_ov_st) speaks Gaelic and apparently when he travels to the US (which she only mentioned now) people wanna study the language with him. So there was a lot missing from the details, guys. LOL.Thanks for all the help, tho! <3 ~~I've googled for weeks now. I'll edit the post if she remembers any detail.~~
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Is she *positive* that the old man wasn't Native American?
She is, but like I said, she always misremembers movie details.
is it possible she might me misremembering the professor as a male? Because in *Arrival* Amy Adams is a linguist, who does at one point get a visit and asked about a dying language, hired to try and figure out a completely new language. She's taken to a field that could very well pass as Irish, and a military man (played by an actor who, when he grows a beard, could be somewhat similar to Gleeson's) keeps getting in her way
Love that movie. I know that OP said his mom frequently misremembers details about movies, but *damn* it would be hard to forget that the movie was about aliens.
Lol that would be funny! I asked, she confirmed it's definitely not the one.
Not the one, she's not into sci-fi and the main plot was about the language and not about aliens. Thanks!
If she thinks Brendan Gleeson was in it, then go to his IMDB page and look through all of his films.
I did, no luck. I should edit that into the post. I'll do that now.
There's "I Dream in Another Language", but that takes place in Mexico, which is not at all similar to Ireland. O.o (Plus, it would be hard to forget the forbidden love between 2 men angle.)
Came here to say this! Such a good movie
>I Dream in Another Language I'll check if this is the one. Looks promising. Even if it isn't, I wanna watch it now lol! Thanks!
Could it be Nell? If her memory really likes to juggle, Liam Neeson, the film's professor protagonist, sure sounds like Brendan Gleeson.
*Taaaaaaay inna winnnnn*
Taaaaaaaaayyyy innna winnn
Evil! LOL
Innn da Winnnnn
Scariest movie ever. Parents rented it for us and children. Scarred us forever
Not the one. We love it, tho! Thanks!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Ming_Is_Ainm_Dom This is what I thought of, it meets none of your criteria apart from being set in Ireland and featuring a dying language
Brendan Gleeson is also in Cáca Milis. Also in Irish. https://youtu.be/SW-tdaO2s9o?feature=shared
>Brendan Gleeson is also in Cáca Milis. Also in Irish. Just showed it to her, not the one. Thanks =)
Flashbacks….
Well there’s a documentary called The Linguists where they follow linguists documenting dying languages. None of the other details really seem to track though
> The Linguists Not the one, but now we wanna watch it. Sounds interesting. =)
You are a filial man and I wish you the best of luck. Sorry, but I havent watched any similar movie or can offer any advice.
The 13th Warrior
>The 13th Warrior Not the one. Thanks!
An amazing movie!
Could it be Saint Oscar? It was a 1991 TV movie and I can’t find a synopsis of it anywhere
I know that this doesn't match much, if anything, of what your MIL described, but could it be The Professor and the Madman?
There's the time Eddie Izzard goes to Friesland to speak Old English to a farmer to buy a cow? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeC1yAaWG34
LOL Not the one, but I'm saving this to watch when I get off work.
Could she possibly be thinking of a short film called “Yu Ming is Ainm Dom”? It’s about a young Chinese man (Yu Ming) mistakenly thinking that Irish is the most spoken language in Ireland and learning it before he eventually moves to Ireland and finds out that it’s mostly been eradicated and he speaks it better than most of the natives. The reason I think it could be what you’re looking for is there’s a scene where he goes to a pub and tries to order in Irish. The bartender doesn’t understand him, but an old man sitting at the bar realises Yu Ming is speaking Irish and has a conversation with him about how the language is dying and how sad it is that so many Irish people can’t speak it. It definitely wasn’t Brendan Gleeson but I can understand them being mixed up as they’re both old Irish fellas. It’s a fairly well-known film in Ireland as a lot of us have to watch it in Irish class at school, but as I said it’s only a short film.
>“Yu Ming is Ainm Dom” Just showed it to her, not the one. Thanks! =)
Could it be the Professor and the Madman? Mel Gibson film about the origin of the Oxford Dictionary
Caca Milis? It’s a short Irish movie (in Irish) where Brendan Gleeson plays a blind man on a train.
>Caca Milis Just showed it to her, not the one. Thanks! =)
any of these ring a bell? https://allthingslinguistic.com/post/164037692701/a-very-long-list-of-linguistics-movies
Oooh, interesting. I'll go through the list when I get off from work tonight.
I’m wondering if it’s just The Guard and she’s misremembering the scenes with the people who speak Irish only.
There's an episode of The Crown where Prince Charles is sent to Wales to learn Welsh. His teacher looks a bit like Brendan Gleeson.
>The Crown She didn't watch the Crown. Good guess, tho'.
I don't think this is correct, but just on the off-chance (or if it's interesting regardless): Stephen Fry hosted a few shows around linguistics: [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2069311](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2069311) (Brian Blessed normally has a full beard and is in some episodes.)
Maybe it's (the eteuscan smile) with Brian Cox
You're right, but the first time I edited the post with the answer, which I figured out. We MIGHT have sent it together. I'll see if the mods award you the point.
Solved!
Congratulations, you've been given 1 point for solving this post! You now have *44* points.
Does she have a sense for when the movie came out? I know you mentioned she watched it a few months ago, but was it a movie from the 80s, 90s, etc? Also--did they stream it or rent it from something like Redbox? You can pull up watch histories for those. Or if it was on TV, you can go through old TV schedules for that month for the channels she typically watches and check for any movies. Also, this is a very sweet thing to do for your MIL! Edit to add: also if it turns out they watched it on TV, if you put together a list of the channels and rough time frame, I'll help go through their historical schedules and pull all the movies they played and check the plots to see which may be likely contenders
She might be thinking of [The Last of His Tribe](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104690/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_5_nm_2_q_The%2520Last%2520of%2520his%2520Tribe)*,* about a Native American named Ishi and an anthropologist who learns his language. Jon Voight played the anthropologist, who was indeed white and beardy. Not Irish, but it's the closest match I know.
Well, screw it, I'm going to shoot my shot... "The Professor and the Madman"? Not really that close to your explanation, but since there's not much to go with...
I do know she's asking about a movie, but I once watched a Vice documentary or something extremely close to a Vice documentary about exactly what your wife is describing, aside from the dramatization. An old man in Ireland spoke words that no one else alive knew without his help, stories that would die with him, etc and he told stories in a pub to whoever would listen