Film was interesting and had a dream like quality. It also got me thinking. I believe there is more here and meets the eye. First of all our artists finds a covered spring / well near the grotto. There are many such wells in Ireland that the Celts believed belonged to a specific god or goddess. They possessed healing properties and other mystic powers. With the coming of Christianity lots of these were converted to a specific saint.
The hooded figure in her dreams. Again Celts had a hooded figure in their folklore. Was she sent to heaven or faerie. I'm going with faerie. Typically folklore states those who enter - return the same age - years later. Time is different in faerie.
What is the priest? Is he a guardian, trickster or some Tam Linish figure? Is the older lady the Faerie Queen telling the artist not to listen to him? What species of tree? That depends on the folklore too. Clearly the film could have been explained a bit better especially for those not familiar with folklore.
The hooded figure in her dreams. Again Celts had a hooded figure in their folklore. Was she sent to heaven or faerie. I'm going with faerie. Typically folklore states those who enter - return the same age - years later. Time is different in faerie.
What is the priest? Is he a guardian, trickster or some Tam Linish figure? Is the older lady the Faerie Queen telling the artist not to listen to him? What species of tree? That depends on the folklore too. Clearly the film could have been explained a bit better especially for those not familiar with folklore.