The Quiet Girl

Unrated

12/16/20221h 34m

Theatrical (limited) Release (US)

Overview:

A quiet, neglected girl is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with relatives for the summer. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one.

Director:

Colm Bairéad

Status:

Released

Language:

Irish

Buget:

$1.00

Revenue:

$6.00

Key words:

shyness
loss
love
little girl
summer
ireland
foster family
care
1980s
irish language
secret
rural ireland
elderly parents

Cast

Catherine Clinch

~ as ~

Cáit

Carrie Crowley

~ as ~

Eibhlín

Andrew Bennett

~ as ~

Seán

Michael Patric

~ as ~

Kate Nic Chonaonaigh

~ as ~

Mam

Joan Sheehy

~ as ~

Úna

Tara Faughnan

~ as ~

Sorcha

Neans Nic Dhonncha

~ as ~

Gráinne

Eabha Ni Chonaola

~ as ~

Aoife

Carolyn Bracken

~ as ~

The Woman

View full cast & crew

Reviews (3)

CinemaSerf
Written 2 year(s) ago
7
Catherine Clinch is great here as the subdued but curious "Cáit". With her mother expecting a baby soon, she is shipped off to stay with farmers "Eibhlín" (Carrie Crowley) and her husband "Seán" (Andrew Bennett). Whilst the mother is openly welcoming, the father is more reticent as the young girl has to come to terms with her new surroundings. Now it's fair to say that her real parents care for her, they are not bad people - but she had been left very much to her own devices and as such, arrives here shy and retiring. "Eibhlin" is determined that she relaxes and fits in, and makes clear that there are no secrets and that openness and honesty must be the order of the day. Thing is, though, as "Cáit" meets local people, she discovers that the family she lives with are keeping one whopping great secret. Could the exposure of that secret bring the three of them more closely together? It's a beautifully shot and gently paced feature, this, with a paucity of extraneous dialogue that allows the characters to breathe and develop. The story is simply uncomplicated with a minimum of sentiment and melodrama, but still serves to provide us with an observation of love - in it's many guises - as well as despair and optimism too. Michael Patric's performance as the rather uncouth "Da" (he stubs his cigarette end out on his dinner plate) is also worth noting - he helps to put quite a bit of context into the attitude and behaviour of his young daughter. I wasn't sold on this when I sat down to watch it, but it is certainly worth a hour and a half of anyone's time.
b
badelf
Written 2 year(s) ago
9
This is a calmly revealed story of the many faces of love. The directing, the pacing, the cinematography and the acting are all world-class. The character development of the three protagonists is awesome. The film is so endearing that you just want to live in this world.
S
SPDonlan
Written 11 month(s) ago
~~
The best Irish film (whatever that means) ever made?

Based on Claire Keegan’s exceptional ‘long short story’, The Quiet Girl’s ably adapted, and translated into the Irish language, by first-time feature-filmmaker Bairéad. It succeeds through his assured direction, Kate McCullough’s stunning cinematography, and a very strong Irish cast and crew, not least the young Catherine Clinch.

Neglected by her immediate family, and her time, Cáit is fostered by distant relatives. She returns transformed. The film’s sacramental and incarnational, with a world charged with loss and love. It ends with a prayer-of-sorts. And hope.

Better than The Quiet Man (no relation).