Many's the person who's missed the opportunity to say nothing and lost much because of it
Continuing my trip up The Guardian's top 50 films of 2022
#2 : An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl)
Deeply moving tale of rural Ireland in which a silent child is sent away to live with foster parents on a farm, in a gem of a film from first-time feature director Colm Bairéad
I've heard this is good and I know it's a rare Irish language film, but apart from that I'm coming to to this pretty much blind - I'm expecting it to look fabulous though.
We follow Cait (who is in fact, pretty quiet) who lives with her large family in relative poverty and neglect, ignored because she doesn't make enough noise to compete. Her mother is expecting yet another child, so Cait is packed off to some childless relatives/friends/some random couple anyway. Eibhlín (the wife) is obviously nurturing but seems sad whilst Seán is taciturn and remote - obviously all of them are going to blossom as the film progresses. The only question is whether it's going to end well or going to end badly - I fear badly, but I very much hope well...
The softening of the relationship between Seán and Cait is beautifully done with some really nice touches - a biscuit left without a word, sharing work on the farm, a quiet moonlit chat on the beach. And it's lovely to see her become less quiet as her confidence in being listened to grows. The whole film is a beautiful testament to power of cherishing and listening to a child - a little bit of love and attention goes a long way and this film shows it nicely.
So, does it end well or end badly? Well, obviously that would be telling but it has a lovely ending which manages to be both happy and sad - and I might have got something in my eye as a result of it. There are also some really subtle touches throughout the film which tug at your heartstrings when you realise the significance of them - the internet is amusingly full of people who just sobbed throughout the film. I do have to stress it's not a sad film but I can just see that many elements would resonate with people and bring back strong emotions.
The acting is top notch throughout - very naturalistic and particularly believable if you've ever met any Irish people. Catherine Clinch who plays Cait is excellent as the still centre of the film - she manages to be very expressive even when she's not saying anything. And Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett also excel as Eibhlin and Seán - all three of them work really well together and give the film some real emotional heft.
It's all beautifully shot, so credit must be given to Colm Bairéad on his debut. The camera rarely moves, but there's often motion in the shot - it's quite an effective style. I was also reminded of Playground with the camera often adopting Cait's level and the levels of Irish poverty also brought The Wonder to mind, although the timeframe is somewhat different. Colm also get credit for the screenplay - adapted from a 2010 short story by Clare Keegan which is well worth a read if you get the chance (but I'd watch the film first). It's also our first 4:3 aspect ratio film of the year - we had loads of them last year, but they're obviously out of fashion again (but it works well for me here).
One completely random point to finish - I was amused to see Eiblin had the same hoover we had in the 80s.
Re-reading this so far, I've said some very nice things about this film but I still don't think I've really done it credit. This is an absolutely glorious film that I loved and whole-heartedly recommend to everyone - it's well written, well acted, looks gorgeous and really pulls on your heartstrings. It's had quite a low profile (despite being Oscar nominated) but you should really make an effort to track it down - it doesn't help itself by being available to stream on BFIPlayer but it's available to rent in all the usual locations. Seriously, check it out - you won't regret it.
Only #1 left on the list and it's really gonna have to go some to beat this..
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