oscar jubis
08-31-2003, 05:38 PM
THE MAGDALENE SISTERS is the controversial account of the experiences of four "fallen women" condemned to indefinite sentences of servitude in Ireland's Magdalene Laundries. The Laundries have already been the subject of the documentary "Sex in a Cold Climate", a 60 Minutes segment, a Joni Mitchell protest song, and a series of articles in The Irish Times that initially called attention to the abuses perpetrated by the Sisters of Mercy. The film is directed by Peter Mullan (Orphans, My Name is Joe) who went into acting after his application for admission in the National Film School was rejected.
Prior to the film title, separate vignettes present three of the four young women. Margaret (Ann Marie Duff) is attending a wedding where she is forcibly raped by a cousin. As merry Irish music drowns all conversation, we watch Margaret telling another woman what happened. Our understanding of the family's reaction to the rape and the decision about what to do depends entirely on visual cues. Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone) is an pretty teen raised in a Catholic orphanage whose non-crime is to attract attention from lustful boys. Our first glimpse of Rose (Dorothy Duffy) takes place in a hospital room where she's just given birth to a beautiful baby. She is begging her stern mother to take a look at the baby. Mother and son are soon separated and the blonde girl is sent to the Laundries, where Sister Bridget (a splendid Geraldine McEwan) awaits.
It's easy to overlook Mr. Mullan's directorial skills given the incendiary nature of the material and the superb performances. After the introduction of Margaret, Bernadette and Rose, the film's title appears over what looks like a wall with the first names of numerous girls engraved into it. The audience understands immediately we've just met three out of thousands of girls, each with her own specific horror story. The following scene illustrates Mullan's emphatic use of close-ups and detail shots. We hear Sister Bridget browbeating the three new arrivals about redemption through atonement and sacrifice while we see her hand expertly counting bills.
THE MAGDALENE SISTERS introduces a fourth "sister" already interned at the Dublin Laundry: Crispina (Eileen Walsh), a simple-minded woman who uses her St. Christopher medallion to "communicate" with her out-of-wedlock son. Crispina's vulnerability guarantees she'll become the film's most tragic figure. Certain scenes reminded me of the conditions prevalent in Southern plantations during slavery and the plight of Jews in Nazi concentration camps. The dismissive response from the Vatican and the American Catholic League is not surprising, but Mullan retorts that his screenplay is entirely based on victims' testimony. Some women have actually complained that their experiences were worse than anything shown in this film. I was deeply moved, and impressed by Mullan and everyone involved with this project. Warning: This film will likely break your heart or make you angry or both. This is not necessarily what filmgoers want, no matter how masterful the film under consideration.
Prior to the film title, separate vignettes present three of the four young women. Margaret (Ann Marie Duff) is attending a wedding where she is forcibly raped by a cousin. As merry Irish music drowns all conversation, we watch Margaret telling another woman what happened. Our understanding of the family's reaction to the rape and the decision about what to do depends entirely on visual cues. Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone) is an pretty teen raised in a Catholic orphanage whose non-crime is to attract attention from lustful boys. Our first glimpse of Rose (Dorothy Duffy) takes place in a hospital room where she's just given birth to a beautiful baby. She is begging her stern mother to take a look at the baby. Mother and son are soon separated and the blonde girl is sent to the Laundries, where Sister Bridget (a splendid Geraldine McEwan) awaits.
It's easy to overlook Mr. Mullan's directorial skills given the incendiary nature of the material and the superb performances. After the introduction of Margaret, Bernadette and Rose, the film's title appears over what looks like a wall with the first names of numerous girls engraved into it. The audience understands immediately we've just met three out of thousands of girls, each with her own specific horror story. The following scene illustrates Mullan's emphatic use of close-ups and detail shots. We hear Sister Bridget browbeating the three new arrivals about redemption through atonement and sacrifice while we see her hand expertly counting bills.
THE MAGDALENE SISTERS introduces a fourth "sister" already interned at the Dublin Laundry: Crispina (Eileen Walsh), a simple-minded woman who uses her St. Christopher medallion to "communicate" with her out-of-wedlock son. Crispina's vulnerability guarantees she'll become the film's most tragic figure. Certain scenes reminded me of the conditions prevalent in Southern plantations during slavery and the plight of Jews in Nazi concentration camps. The dismissive response from the Vatican and the American Catholic League is not surprising, but Mullan retorts that his screenplay is entirely based on victims' testimony. Some women have actually complained that their experiences were worse than anything shown in this film. I was deeply moved, and impressed by Mullan and everyone involved with this project. Warning: This film will likely break your heart or make you angry or both. This is not necessarily what filmgoers want, no matter how masterful the film under consideration.