Being neglected and denied affection and love is a tragedy that can keep a person from becoming, or even knowing, their best self. But having the fortune of receiving love is a gift that allows us to grow tall and full like a beautiful forest of trees.
Those themes form the story of The Quiet Girl (now playing in select theaters). Ireland’s official submission and nominee for Best International Feature Film at this year’s Academy Awards (spoken in Irish with English subtitles), The Quiet Girl is a tender, sensitive, moving film about a young girl who experiences care and affection for the first time in her young life.
Set in rural Ireland in 1981, The Quiet Girl tells the story of Cáit (Catherine Clinch), a quiet girl whose dysfunctional family sends her away for the summer to live with relatives she has never met.
The couple–quiet themselves, middle-aged and middle-class–look after her in their modest, tidy home. Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley) lends affection to Cáit instantly, brushing her hair and dressing her with the family’s extra clothes when she’s left without her suitcase.
Initially uneasy (as wetting the bed always indicates), Cáit slowly begins to feel more comfortable in the house. She helps prepare meals and do simple chores alongside Eibhlín, who smiles affectionately at her. Soon after, the formerly despondent Seán (Andrew Bennett) warms to Cáit, bringing her to work with him on their dairy farm, and their connection grows as well.
It’s a newfound world of care for Cáit, the family making her feel safe by telling her, “There are no secrets in this house.” Except, Cáit learns about a large secret the family keeps (why do the clothes she was initially given fit so coincidentally well?), forcing her to learn more about the world.
The above plot point might make The Quiet Girl instantly sound like a mystery or thriller, but I ultimately found it to be a modest domestic drama. Writer-director Colm Bairéad adapts the film from the short story “Foster” (by Claire Keegan) with devoted patience. Bairéad and editor John Murphy match the film’s slow pace to that of Cáit’s slowly absorbing learning of the world.
Director of photography Kate McCullough sets Cáit in a dark, drab, colorless world early on. But when she moves to the new home surrounded by healthily flourishing nature, greens overpower and show the life Cáit begins to live.
Newcomer Catherine Clinch makes her feature film acting debut here in the lead role of Cáit. Clinch has the essence of a quiet girl, taking in the world through her large eyes and silent, unimposing behavior.
As Eibhlín, Carrie Crowley (Vikings) is aptly heartfelt. And Andrew Bennett (God’s Creatures) is able to grow into the role, surprisingly taking over the main parental role of affection.
Some of the best moments of the film are the sequences in which Cáit runs down the driveway to get the mail with Seán, a moment of “father-daughter” connection. Looking up to see she’s underneath a forest of highly grown trees, it’s clear that she is also blooming while being here, how tall she’s grown when she must return home to her biological family.
The film reminded me of other quiet films about childhood, particularly Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman and Lukas Dhont’s Close, the latter being nominated for Best International Feature as well.
At one hour and thirty-four minutes, The Quiet Girl isn’t long by any stretch. However, it’s about an hour until the film reveals its climactic plot point, and the film doesn’t exactly build toward this moment with scenes that made it pay off for me in too big of a way. But the film speaks volumes to the point that we should all give our love and affection so that we can help each other live our lives loudly.
1h 34m.
