Hey folks, Harry here... We first heard about The Magdalene Sisters from Ravvy whilst he was hunting for the dwarf in the red raincoat in Venice during the Venice Film Festival. Unfortunately he never met the dwarf, but he did see this film and raved about it. Apparently it is quite wonderful. Now, the Gentile... I mean Gentle Man has seen it and he feels the same way. Haven't heard if it'll be getting distribution over here...
Hi Harry, The Gentle Man here,
Just out of a press screening of Peter Mullan's latest film The Magdalene Sisters. Now I don't know if Mullen's work is shown or available in the USA, but he is probably the finest writer/director Scotland has to offer.
Going into the film I knew absolutely nothing, and the history of the film is localised in my small corner of the world so I'll give you a brief history: The Magdalene homes for young women were run by a group of nuns called The Sisters Of Mercy on behalf of the Catholic Church. Now the film deals with a home in Dublin in the 1960s, where the girls sent to the homes are slave labourers - laundry mostly, while the nurses rake in the money (vaguely reminiscent of The Shawshank Redemption but without Darabont's romanticism of plot). The girls themselves are sent there by their families or priests who believe the girls are 'unholy' or 'immoral', such as those who had given birth outside of wedlock.
The opening scenes deal with the three main protagonists, and how each of them winds up being a prisoner inside the homes. Each has a different reason for being abducted, as Mullen's film explores the rights of religion and faith. The film shows how strong a hold religion has over the country of Ireland. Indeed, Mullan's cameo as a father of one of the girls shows that men often placed the church before their family.
The film itself has a very intimate, private and personal feel, with Mullen's script being careful not to roam too far into darkness or romanticise the place they are in. There are no conversations about Institutionalisation, but the idea is evoked in several scenes. There are also many shocking scenes, none more so than when one of the sisters judges the girls breasts size while they stand in a row naked. But the director has managed to evoke performances on both sides of the line, the prisoner girls and the warden like nuns, in a way that both sides think they are doing what is best.
The performances are great. I would not like to single anyone out, but Eileen Walsh is amazing as Crispina. I'll also mention Nora-Jane Noone, since this is her first major role, and it is amazing how she shows the flirty girl descending into dark 'sin' and fight her way out again.
I'm running out of time, but I will say that the film carries resonance in today's modern culture, where we have seen the repression of women in other countries, as well as the extremes people will go to in the name of religious faith. It is notable that the last Magdalene house closed less than ten years ago, and that the Catholic Church have yet to apologise for the events that happened in those places.
To sum up, Mullen has created a beautiful, moving film, that is carried by the emotional resonance of the truth created within the actors space and the detailed sets. Someone better pick this up and show it around the world.
