Spoilers ahead...
Plot: About Emotional Abuse and Longing for Parental Love
Set in
rural Ireland in the early 1980s, the story follows a 10-year-old quiet girl,
Cait (Catherine Clinch), who lives with a dysfunctional family. Her mother,
expecting a new child soon, sends Cait to her cousin's, Eibhlin Cinnsealach
(Carrie Crowley), far away for the summer. Eibhlin and her husband, Sean
Cinnsealach (Andrew Bennett), look after Cait, providing a much more loving
family environment. Cait is told that a family should not have any secrets, yet
she later discovers a deep hidden secret about Eibhlin and Sean.
Lack of Hard-Hitting Moments a Major Issue in The Quiet Girl
It's a
very simple film, which is often enough to enjoy, but here you feel they just
didn't try much in the narrative, making it sail through without enough
conflicts or hard-hitting moments. Even the hinted secret wasn't as deep as I
thought it would be. Sure, it still plays better with the narrative, but there
was a chance to go darker, like Cait thinking she got a very good place, but
they are actually even worse. This may have made for a tough watch, but at
least there would be something more going on. Alternatively, they should have
included more conversations between Cait and Eibhlin/Sean, especially after she
learns about the secret.
The final scene is heartbreaking and easily the best one of the movie. You feel for Cait because, most likely off-screen, the story would go on with Cait having to live again with her parents, who don't care for her. The lack of care and emotional abuse are in full display every time we see Cait with her parents. It doesn't help that her relationship with her sisters seems non-existent, and the same goes for her school scene, where she is shown to be all alone.
Eibhlin
and Sean's sequences are good to watch, playing the kind parents who have no
children of their own. We finally see Cait find some happiness in her life,
even if it’s meant to be short-lived. If you are observant, you may predict
that Sean's initial cold behavior towards Cait might have to do with his own
personal loss. The 'taking water out from the well' sequence at the end was
frightening to watch. For a moment, I felt maybe Eibhlin and Sean were about to
witness another loss. I am happy they didn't go this route at all. It would
have been too depressing for my liking.
Final Verdict on The Quiet Girl
Overall,
The Quiet Girl is a decent watch. It is slow and a bit too simple. You just
wish the childhood depression could have been explored more to make it a more
emotional movie.
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