Film Review: An Cailín Ciúin

FILM REVIEW

By TADHG CURTIN

A young girl gets to escape her dysfunctional family and spend a summer of discovery out in the Irish countryside in Colm Bairéad’s "An Cailín Ciúin" (The Quiet Girl) (2022).

Based on a novella Foster by Claire Keegan, we follow a young girl named Cáit (played superbly by Catherine Clinch) and she is an awkward little girl. It’s not her fault - her father is an alcoholic gambler, her siblings are not very nice to her, and her mother is at her wits end trying to look after the family while getting ready to give birth to another child. With all this, it’s decided that Cáit is to be sent to distant relatives to spend the summer. Here, the new environment has a profound impact on her and she makes a profound impact on her newly appointed temporary guardians who nurture her with a kindness she hasn’t experienced before.

Many have said that "An Cailín Ciúin" is one of the best movies told through a child’s POV. Through Cáit’s eyes, her environment feels massive yet claustrophobic at the same time. Her hanging out with adults and observing what they are doing is awkward and we feel what she is going through. For me, I love how it suggests a hot, Irish summer through its look and sound. Growing up on a farm, I thought that was bang on.

Ciúin has a revelation that comes halfway through the movie, that might be no surprise to keen eyed viewers paying attention. Director Colm Bairéad’s plotting is methodical with its cinematography relying on stationary shots. Its editing lingers on shots longer than usual but with purpose, it’s lulling you into its seemingly banal proceedings. My issue with a lot of Irish cinema is it produces dramas with a capital ‘D’. They can be very austere with people in rooms silently suffering. That’s what I thought I was in for. But its beautiful, lush photography by Kate McCullough and score by Stephen Rennicks softened me. The actors too - Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett, as well Michael Patric, playing a flawed man you just want to throttle to get him to cop on. And then, we get to the end and well… it has got to me. I would love to talk about the ending but I don’t want to ruin its impact.

The irony of "An Cailin Ciúin" is that word of mouth is giving a tremendous boost to its marketing. It seems to be the little engine that could, with critics lauding it and international audiences are embracing it. As of writing, it has been nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2023 Oscars. The Irish have won at the Oscars before for an independent movie; John Carney’s "Once" (2007) won Best Original Song in 2008 so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Ciúin could win its category. I haven’t seen the other movies nominated but is Ciúin a worthy winner? You know what? Yes. Writing this piece is making me realise that I am more in sync with this story than I was starting off. Despite my minor issues with it, I’m still thinking about it. I would love to see it pick up the big one on the night, to see young Cáit run up on that stage but at the end of the day, awards mean nothing. If you’re gonna take off running, do it for love and the love of family. Run! Ar nós na gaoithe