Photo Courtesy of Super LTD.
Director Colm Bairéad brings us a devastatingly beautiful film about a quiet girl. But it’s the reasoning behind why she’s quiet that is key.
Cáit (Catherine Clinch) has multiple siblings, a mother (Kate Nic Chonaonaigh) who would rather get through her current pregnancy than spend time with her children, and a father (Michael Patric) who barely lifts a finger to help. There is much to say about the psychology of a neglected upbringing, but the film does a great job of depicting one of the outcomes, in the form of Cáit—a timid girl with no desire but to be invisible, hiding in fields and under the bed, trying not to be noticed in school, etc.
Cáit is sent off for the summer to live with her Mam’s cousin, Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley), and her husband, Seán (Andrew Bennet), to help ease the load at home. Eibhlín works hard to treat Cáit like her own, and in time, so does Sean. But Eibhlín promises no secrets in the household, and it is not long before Cáit discovers there is one.
Really, that secret is not the true conflict of the film, though it definitely pulls on your heartstrings and helps flesh out the family. “The Quiet Girl” is less about active conflict than it is about a story we wish we never had to see come to fruition in the first place. It is more a mood piece, simple and to the point but flooded deep with humanity. Like its title, the film is quiet, and that is kind of what makes it magical. There is at least one moment where the narrative arc feels a little too on the nose (probably as an attempt to give the film more conflict), but Bairéad makes up for that with the love he’s coaxed out of the characters.
Clinch is a joy in her role, and watching her inadvertently opening up (and also inadvertently closing down) is wonderful. And Crowley and Bennet do a fantastic job of creating a comfortable atmosphere for their new guest. The film toes the line between heartwarming and heartbreaking—a real tribute to the efforts of both Bairéad and the crew.
“The Quiet Girl” will play at Midtown Cinema in March. Make sure to catch this gem of a film.
Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com.
March Events At Midtown Cinema
First-Run Films Opening
“One Fine Morning”
“Close”
Friday, March 3
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Re-opens at the Cinema
Friday, March 3
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”
Oscar-Nominated Doc, One Day Only
Sunday, March 5
First-Run Film Opening
“The Quiet Girl”
Friday, March 10
Down in Front! Presents
“Terror Is a Man” (1959)
Friday, March 10 at 9:30 p.m.
Red Carpet Evening
Celebrate Hollywood’s Biggest Night!
Sunday, March 12 at 6 p.m.
Open Stage’s Good at Heart Festival presents
“Who We Are”
Thursday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m.
3rd in the Burg Movie Night
“Neverending Story” (1984)
Friday, March 17 at 9:30 p.m.
“All that Breathes”
Oscar-Nominated Doc, One Day Only
Sunday, March 19
“The Breakfast Club” (1985)
Friday, March 24, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 25, 10:30 a.m.
with breakfast cereal bar!
First-Run Film Opening
“No Bears”
March 24
“The Room”
With Greg Sestero, Live
March 25 at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
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