Few films explore sanctuary and lonely stillness as eloquently as Colm Bairéad’s mildly charming Irish drama Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin ). When the neglected 9-year-old protagonist disappears into the cracks of her overcrowded home and is seen as a slow learner at school, her keen wits bloom one warm summer in the care of a distant relative. As an almost equally taciturn man who became the much-needed father figure, she noted in the introverted girl’s defense: “She can say as much as she wants.”
Comments like these, are Colored by a largely unspoken goodwill, this well-crafted film imbues this well-crafted film with a stirring grace and sensitivity. Based on Claire Keegan’s short storyFoster‘s Bairéad (which is set in television and documentaries), it’s a work of constant restraint that makes its hidden emotional weight all the more compelling Attention.
Quiet Girl
Bottom Line A small gem, fragile and lovely.
Throwing
: Carrie Crowley, Andrew Barrett, Catherine Clinch, Michael Patric, Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, Joan Sheehy
Director and screenwriter: Colm Bairéad, based on a short film Foster , Claire Keegan
1 hour Minutes
Movies in Berlin earlier this year Festival Youth sidebar award-winning audience, this understated production swept the Irish Academy of Film and Television Awards (beating Belfast ) and went on to become a national success Highest-grossing Irish-language film of all time. Independent distribution boutique Super recently acquired North American rights and should benefit from the film’s positioning as Ireland in 80international Submissions in the Feature category 80 Oscars.
From the very first photo – a 4.3 aspect ratio composition with gorgeous textures by cinematographer Kate McCullough – it’s clear that the slender young Cáit (Catherine Clinch) is alone Most comfortable when alone. Cáit hid in the long grass in her own dreamy headspace when one of her more outgoing siblings called her name and told her their mother was looking for her.
Her mom (Kate Nic Chonaonaigh) is an impatient, distracted woman with too many kids to care for and one on the way; Patrick), rude, lazy and unfit for farming, lurk on the fringes of these economic-building scenarios with a hint of menace.
Bairéad and talented newcomer Clinch deftly show how Cáit observes this rural world while being barely visible, from the brief conversations between her parents or the noisier exchanges between her sisters excerpted from. At school, we see how her barely audible squeaks and painful shyness in reading class prompt the teacher to briskly move on to the next student, while outside the classroom, her classmates either ignore her or act like a weirdo Looking at her like a fetus.
Cáit is sent to spend time with her mother’s older, better-off cousin Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley) and her husband Seán (Andrew Barrett) on their small dairy farm summer vacation. Her dad – who could barely be civilized, let alone express gratitude – was desperate to get rid of the girl he drove off in the back seat of the car with a suitcase. But Eibhlín immediately begins to treat Cáit with a warm tenderness she’s completely unaccustomed to, even as Seán initially keeps his distance. change. But in a nuanced performance infinitely expressed in a few words, Clinch conveys the nurturing effect of this sense of acceptance and belonging on Cáit. After Eibhlín gave her a much-needed bath, she counted 80 through her hair in a soothing voice There’s a feeling that girl is snuggling up to this strange new idea about what a child’s life can — and should — be like, learning to trust. She seemed silently grateful when Eibhlín got her involved in chores and cooking.
Eibhlín told her that their house had no secrets, and that secrets meant shame: “We don’t want to lose face here.” But sadness was clearly hanging in the air.
Sean’s gradual softening of the girl’s presence in the house is just as much an indication of this sadness as his overreaction – anger and fear – when she disappears. He was temporarily left in his care while he cleaned the stalls. When Cáit gazes at the railroad-themed wallpaper in the room or considers the boys’ clothes, she may have sensed the nature of the couple’s grief, until they bought her some new clothes at Sean’s insistence.
Her initiation didn’t happen in Heart to Heart, but through a brilliant scene that injected a mean spark into the drama. While keeping a vigil for an elderly neighbor, Ablin agrees to have Oona (Joan Sheehy), a seemingly well-meaning villager, take Kate home and take care of the girl until she and Sean are ready to leave. But Úna is a nosy gossip, asking girls questions about Eibhlín (“Does she use butter or margarine in her pastries?”) and spits out the personal tragedies that mark their lives, without a shred of sympathy. She can’t wait until she’s in the house, and she starts throwing the vigil refreshments (“trying to have a little something”) at her gloomy old woman.
The film’s serene hiatus is brutal and exhilarating, setting the stage for the inevitable idyllic end as the semester draws near and Cáit faces home. Whether the timing of her departure will permanently change her is unclear, but it will certainly enhance her understanding of the world and the beauty of goodness. No doubt this will be a moment to bring her back to her mind for comfort, as Ablin and Sean might have been. Cáit’s reticence is likely to remain the same, perhaps buoyed by what Sean told her: “A lot of people are missing out on not saying anything, and therefore a lot.”
with Clinch as its fragile center, the beautiful ensemble does an impeccable job, all in sync with the film’s enveloping feel. Emma Lowery and Louise Stanton’s understated production and costume designs, respectively, capture the early “80 as 1950 pass. (The sweet moment when Cáit first sees Eibhlín’s giant freezer, she seems to be in awe of the wonders of the future.)
The Quiet Girls is a humble drama – quiet, intimate and melancholic – sometimes eschewing the edge of sentimentality, but always in It flinches before it turns into sugary clichés. Stephen Renix’s lovely melodic soundtrack maintains that balance as well. It’s a successful debut, and its emotional payoff is inversely proportional to its size.
Full credits
Distribution: Super
Production Company: Inscéal Actors: Kelly Crowley, Andrew Barrett, Kathryn Clinch, Michael Patrick, Kate Nick Jonana, Joan Sheey
Director and screenwriter: Colm Bairéad, based on short story Foster , Claire Keegan Producer: Cleona Ní ChrualaoiExecutive Producers: Dearbhla Regan, Máire Ní Chonláin
Director of Photography: Kate McCullough
Production Designer: Emma Lowney
Costume Designer: Louise Stanton Music: Stephen Renix 2023 Editor: John Murphy Sales: Banksi de Films
1 hour 35 minute
THR Newsletter100
1 hour 35 minute
THR Newsletter100
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