The imdb synopsis of “The Quiet Girl” sums up the film really well so I am going to use that myself here: Set in rural Ireland “in 1981, the film tells the story of a quiet, neglected, young girl who is sent away for the summer from her dysfunctional family to live with "her mother's people". These are Seán and Eibhlín Cinnsealach; a middle-aged couple she has never met. Slowly, in the care of this couple, Cáit blossoms and discovers a new way of living, but in this house where affection grows and there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one.”
“The Quiet Girl” turned out to be a surprise hit in the UK and Ireland earlier this year, with audiences absolutely falling in love with it. What may sound like a rather dry film on paper, watching a young grow up in Ireland in the 1980s, is anything but in the finished product. Yes, this is the simplest of stories, but it has been told with a beautifully delicate touch which results in a tale filled to the brim with genuine emotion. After my viewing at MIFF, it was very easy to see why this film has been so loved by so many. Here we have an understated and fantastically unassuming but powerfully emotional tale, that is just so human. It celebrates love, and caring for one another, and putting the time in to help, nurture and teach someone in our care. It is definitely a crowd pleaser, and this is not something I often go for, but “The Quiet Girl” weaved its spell on me, and exposed me for the big softy that I truly am.
The film tells its story via a deliberate pace, that some would no doubt call slow. Slow films have never bothered me, as it gives you the time to fall into the world onscreen fully. Here we meet Cáit, a beautiful young girl around the age of eight. She lives in a large family who are rather poor, but this could have more to do with her father's habits of spending all their money on booze and gambling, rather than the fact they have no money at all. You immediately feel sorry for this girl, as she is almost invisible to her family. She is never seen, and appears to only be spoken to when she is being unfairly yelled at for something. The poor thing struggles in school as it is obvious her parents haven't taken the time to help her, or provide her with an environment where she can learn at home. With her mother pregnant yet again, the family decides to ship Cáit off to her mother's cousin for the summer holidays. It is here where we witness to two heartbreaking moments that sum up how little Cáit means to her family. The first is when her mother and father are deciding how long to send Cáit away for, and the father says “they can keep her for as long as they want”. The comment is disgraceful enough, but it is the fact that Cáit hears the comment that makes it hurt so much. The other moment is when she leaves, and her mother calls out to her siblings to say goodbye to her, and none of them can be bothered to stop playing for a minute to say goodbye. The poor thing, no wonder Cáit is so withdrawn. However from the moment she arrives at her new house for the summer and steps out of the car, it is almost like the world opens up for her, and you know she is going to be okay. It is almost a “Wizard of Oz” moment, when Dorothy opens the cabin door and the sepia tones disappear and the colour explodes onto the screen. The world suddenly seems brighter and more optimistic for Cáit, and then she meets Eibhlín, who immediately starts pampering the young girl's hair. You cannot help but smile, because you know that Cáit has been finally seen.
As I have mentioned above, “The Quiet Girl” is a modest and simple film, but it has been so beautifully made. Director Colm Bairéad has sensitively directed the film, keeping it very grounded without the use of grandstanding emotional manipulations that you would likely see if this film had been made in Hollywood. The film is all the better for it, and is an incredibly emotional experience, but each moment is earned and not forced upon the audience. The pain you feel for Cáit in the beginning, and then you just beam for her as she starts to come out of her shell and grow. Bairéad chose to shoot his film in the 1:33 or “square” aspect ratio, which seems to becoming more regular lately and something that I am liking more and more. It seems to work exceptionally well with character driven films in particular, as when you go in for a close up on a character, the square frame really allows you to get as close as possible, which helps convey the depth of a character's emotions in any given moment. The cinematography by Kate McCullough is exquisite. It is not flashy, nor does the camera move excessively but the images of the rural Irish landscape are so beautiful. She also does a great job of catching the light in Cáit's gorgeous big blue eyes. McCullough has been ably assisted by Emma Lowney's exception production design. I mentioned in my review of “1976”, that I love movies that are not afraid of showing different textures in their production design, or imperfections in a location, because it gives the feeling that we a looking at a real lived-in space. This is certainly true of “The Quiet Girl”. It is a beautiful old house where Cáit goes to live, and you can tell that the house has many stories to tell from over the years. Particularly in regard to the wallpaper that she finds in her bedroom.
Again, like “1976”, the reason that “The Quiet Girl” works as well as it does is the stunning lead performance from Catherine Clinch who plays Cáit. She is mesmerising; you cannot take your eyes off of her. As the title suggests, she does not say very much in terms of dialogue but those big blue eyes tell you so much, and you can see her change and grow and become more confident in herself under the attention and love of the Cinnsealach's care. Clinch's performance is both simple and subtle which mirrors the film she is starring in. Mark my words, we are witnessing a star of the future here. It is so impressive seeing her conveying so much, while doing so little. Again, she has no “big” moments in the film, except for the beautifully heartbreaking finale, which has been set up perfectly by director Bairéad earlier in the film, and is a well and truly earned moment.
I will now briefly touch on the two “foster parents” who are both lovely characters. Right from the start, Eibhlín loves and nurtures young Cáit, regularly brushing her hair, washing her, and teaching her how to prepare vegetables for dinner. There is constant interaction between the two and we see Cáit really begin to blossom from this. She feels more confident in herself and thus things like her problem of bed wetting starts to disappear, as does her reading and scholarly activities improve. The man of the house, Seán, is initially more standoffish and at times strict with the girl. He rarely looks her in the eyes, and speaks to her in a mono toned voice, if he speaks to her at all. During these early moments, Seán clearly reminds Cáit of her father. However when Seán slowly begins to thaw towards her, this is when we really see Cáit grow, as she forms a relationship with Seán unlike any other she has had in her life beforehand. She finally has a father figure to look up to, and soon the two of them are always together. He teaches her how to look after and milk the cows, feed the calf, clean the barn, and the two of them have a daily ritual where he times Cáit as she runs to the mailbox and back. It is in these moments, where the only use of slow motion is used in the film, to highlight just how happy Cáit is and how far she has come. The actors portraying Eibhlín and Seán, Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett respectively, are pitch perfect.
Two things I have to briefly mention also, are the fact that “The Quiet Girl” is predominately told in subtitled Irish Gaelic, which I think was a first for me, but another I loved about this great film. The other thing is just how heartbreakingly beautiful the film's finale is. It is essentially the same ending as a film in my top twenty last year (which I wont reveal as it will give away this film's ending), although the roles are reversed. Like that previous film, I was totally sucked in by this ending, and it totally broke me (a tear may have even left my eye). Again, like I mentioned before, as much as the ending is very emotional, it is a moment that has been totally earned.
Overall, like everyone else in the world, I too fell in love with “The Quiet Girl”. It is a beautiful and simple story, told with the utmost sensitivity, that is also a powerfully emotional experience. This is not the usual type of film that I am drawn to, but the exceptional quality of “The Quiet Girl” ended up exposing me for the true softy I am. The film is a definite crowd pleaser, and as such I recommend it for all audiences. Even if you are not a fan of slow or subtitled films, I suggest you take the chance on “The Quiet Girl”; you will not be disappointed.
4 Stars.
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