Mark Kermode said very positive things in his review for this Irish film, and it was rated well by the Radio Times, apart from the title making it obvious what it was about, I didn't know any proper details, but I was up for it. Basically, set in 1981, nine-year-old Cáit (Catherine Clinch) lives with her impoverished and neglectful parents and many siblings in rural Ireland. She struggles to fit in at school, and her mother (Kate Nic Chonaonaigh) is pregnant again. The parents decide to send their quiet daughter away for the summer to live with middle-aged distant cousin Eibhlín Kinsella (Carrie Crowley) and her husband Seán (Andrew Bennett). Cáit arrives at the Kinsella (Cinnsealach) home, on a dairy farm, with no luggage, with Eibhlín immediately welcoming her. In a few days, she is shown love, and taught how to do chores around the house and farm. Eibhlín shows Cáit a well on the property, claiming that the water has healing powers, but warns to be cautious when retrieving water from it. Eibhlín says not to speak of it and Cáit asks, "Is it a secret?", to which Eibhlín responds that there are no secrets in the household, everyone tells each other everything. Eibhlín places Cáit in a spare bedroom, and fearing adults entering, she gets scared and wets the bed. Initially, Eibhlín dresses her in boys' clothes from a wardrobe in the bedroom. She later buys Cáit new girls' clothes. Seán is withdrawn and is initially cold towards his foster daughter. One day while Eibhlín is away, Cáit helps Seán with jobs on the farm, including cleaning the milking parlour. While he is occupied, Cáit wanders off. Once Seán notices her absence, he panics and searches for her on the property. He eventually finds her but scolds her and orders her to never wander off again. Cáit runs, frightened by his sudden anger, back to the house. Seán apologises and starts to try and bond with Cáit. He encourages her to run and fetch the mail, praising her for her speed, and this becomes a pleasant ritual. She slowly opens up to Seán, and the two become close. One day, the Kinsella family attend a wake. Eibhlín and Seán want to comfort their friends at the event but see Cáit getting restless. A gossipy neighbour (Carolyn Bracken) offers to look after her for a few hours, Eibhlín hesitates but agrees. While the woman and Cáit walk together, the woman reveals that the Kinsellas had a young son who drowned in the slurry pit some years ago. When the Kinsellas pick Cáit up from the neighbour's house, they notice her withdrawn demeanour and ask what the neighbour said to her. Cáit tells them the truth, they are visibly upset but they do not deny it. Over a month into her stay, Cáit's mother has given birth and has requested for her daughter to return home in time for the start of the school year. Cáit, Eibhlín and Seán each express sadness at having to say goodbye. Cáit sneaks off to the well to fetch water but falls in, overwhelmed by her rapidly filling bucket. Cáit manages to get out, a distressed Eibhlín searching for her finds her soaked and shivering, and she develops a cold. A few days later, Eibhlín and Seán drive Cáit back to her home. Her mother barely acknowledges her daughter's return, and her father (Michael Patric) shows anger when she sneezes. The adults have a conversation that becomes tense, with Eibhlín telling Cáit's parents that the girl is welcome to stay with them at any time. They reluctantly bid farewell to Cáit and begin to drive off. While watching the car disappear down the long driveway, Cáit suddenly sprints toward it. She manages to catch up to the couple when Seán stops to close the gate. Cáit and Seán hug while Eibhlín is sobbing in the car. Cáit looks over Seán's shoulder and sees her angry father approaching. She says "Daddy" to alert Seán, there is a brief pause, and she says "Daddy" again. Also starring Joan Sheehy as Úna, Tara Faughnan as Sorcha, Neans Nic Dhonncha as Gráinne, and Eabha Ni Chonaola as Aoife. Crowley and Bennett are good as the foster parents, but young Clinch gives the most powerful expressive performance as the shy girl who only says a few words. It is a simplistic story of a girl taken out of a bad situation who gradually comes out of her shell being shown the love she has been neglected, it is interesting when the characters speak both English and Irish language, and it does get you emotionally at the right moments, a gentle but most watchable coming-of-age drama. Very good!
Review of The Quiet Girl
