The Quiet Girl

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The Quiet Girl
Poster
IrishAn Cailín Ciúin
Directed byColm Bairéad
Screenplay byColm Bairéad
Based onFoster
by Claire Keegan
Produced byCleona Ní Chrualaoí
Starring
CinematographyKate McCullough
Edited byJohn Murphy
Music byStephen Rennicks
Production
companies
Distributed byBreak Out Pictures
Release dates
  • 11 February 2022 (2022-02-11) (Berlinale)
  • 12 May 2022 (2022-05-12) (Ireland)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryIreland
Languages
  • Irish
  • English
Budget€1.2 million
Box office$6.785 million

The Quiet Girl (Irish: An Cailín Ciúin [ənˠ ˈkalʲiːnʲ cuːnʲ]) is a 2022 Irish coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Colm Bairéad, in his feature film debut.[1][2] Based on the 2010 short story "Foster" by Claire Keegan, it stars Catherine Clinch, Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett.

Set in 1981, the film follows a withdrawn nine-year-old girl raised by neglectful parents among many other siblings, who experiences a loving home for the first time when she spends the summer on a farm in Rinn Gaeltacht, County Waterford, alone with a married couple who are distant relatives. It is mostly in the Irish language, although it also contains parts in English.

The Quiet Girl premiered on 11 February 2022 at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, where it won two awards, before being theatrically released in Ireland on 12 May 2022. It received critical acclaim for its emotional weight, story, and performances. It received ten nominations at the 18th Irish Film & Television Awards and won seven awards including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress for the then 11-year old Clinch. It was later elected as Ireland's submission for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, and became the first Irish film in history to achieve the nomination; it also received BAFTA Award nominations for Best Film Not in the English Language and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Plot

In the summer of 1981, nine-year-old Cáit is one of many siblings, living with her impoverished and neglectful parents in rural Ireland. She struggles to fit in at school, including an incident where she feels ashamed when a cup of milk spills onto her lap. With her mother pregnant again, they decide to send their quiet daughter away to live with middle-aged distant cousin Eibhlín Cinnsealach (Kinsella) and her husband Seán.

When Cáit arrives, Eibhlín immediately welcomes her into the Cinnsealach home, showing her love and teaching her how to do chores around the house and farm. She shows Cáit a well on the property, warning that it is deep and advising caution when retrieving water from it. Eibhlín places Cáit in a spare bedroom, where she later fears an adult entering the room and eventually wets the bed. As Cáit's luggage was left behind in the car, Eibhlín initially dresses her in boys' clothes found in the wardrobe. Later, she buys Cáit new girls' clothes.

Seán is withdrawn and initially acts coldly towards his foster daughter. One day when Eibhlín is away, Cáit accompanies Seán to the far side of the farm, where he cleans the milking parlour. While he is occupied, Cáit wanders off. When Seán notices her absence, he panics and searches for her on the property. After finding her, he scolds her and orders her never to wander off again. Frightened by his sudden bout of anger, Cáit runs back to the house. Seán expresses remorse and begins to make an effort to bond with Cáit. He encourages her to run to fetch the mail, turning it into a pleasant ritual, and praises her speed. Slowly, she opens up to Seán, and the two become close.

One day, the Cinnsealach family attends a wake. Seeing Cáit getting restless at the event while Eibhlín and Seán comfort their friends, a gossipy neighbour offers to look after her for a couple of hours. Eibhlín hesitates but agrees. While the woman and Cáit walk together, the former reveals that the Cinnsealachs had a young son who drowned in the family slurry pit some years before Cáit's arrival.

When the Cinnsealachs later 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, which quietly upsets them, but they do not deny the neighbour's story.

Over a month into her stay, Cáit's mother has given birth and has requested the Cinnsealachs to return Cáit in time for the start of the school year. Cáit, Eibhlín, and Seán each express their subdued sadness at having to part. Cáit sneaks off to the well to fetch water but falls in, overwhelmed by her rapidly filling bucket. A distressed Eibhlín, searching for Cáit, finds her soaked and shivering and comforts her. Cáit 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 immediately chastises Cáit for sneezing. After a tension-filled conversation between the adults, 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, managing to catch up to the couple as Seán is closing the gate. They embrace, while Eibhlín sobs quietly in the car. As Cáit looks over Seán's shoulder, she sees her father angrily marching toward them and says, "Daddy." She closes her eyes and says "Daddy" again.

Cast

Production

The Quiet Girl is based on Foster, a 2010 novella in English by Claire Keegan. The film was originally titled Fanacht ("Waiting"). It was filmed in Dublin and County Meath, with Meath locations including Summerhill, Moynalvey (including Fagan's Pub), Curraghtown, Garlow Cross, Trim, and Clonymeath.[3][4]

Release

The Quiet Girl premiered at the Berlinale on 11 February 2022. It won the Grand Prix from the Generation Kplus International Jury for Best Film and received a special mention from the children's jury.[5] The jury stated that "It is a film with a delicate story full of details about childhood, grief, parenthood and rebuilding a family. The very strong narrative is combined with a stunning cinematography. The sound and the images create a unique atmosphere."[6][7]

It was also shown at the 2022 Dublin International Film Festival on 23 February, and at the Glasgow Film Festival in March 2022.[8] It went on general release in Ireland on 12 May 2022.[9] It was also selected for the 'World Cinema' section of 27th Busan International Film Festival to be screened in October 2022.[10]

Reception

Box office

It broke box office records for the opening weekend of an Irish-language film and became the highest-grossing Irish-language film of all time, dethroning Arracht, released in 2021, that ended its run with €164,000.[11][12][13]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 97% approval rating based on reviews from 146 critics, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's consensus reads, "A remarkable debut for writer-director Colm Bairéad, The Quiet Girl offers a deceptively simple reminder that the smallest stories can leave a large emotional impact."[14] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 based on 29 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]

Accolades

The Quiet Girl received 10 nominations at the 18th Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTAs) in March 2022, and won in seven categories.[16] The film was the first Irish-language film to showcase at the Berlin Film Festival and win the Best Film award at the IFTAs.[17] [18] In December 2022 the film became the first Irish-language film to be shortlisted for an Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category.[19][20]

On 24 January 2023, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, becoming the first Irish film to be nominated in the category's history.[21]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients Result Ref.
Academy Awards 12 March 2023 Best International Feature Film Ireland Nominated [22]
American Society of Cinematographers Awards 5 March 2023 Spotlight Award Kate McCullough Nominated [23]
Belgian Film Critics Association 6 January 2024 Grand Prix The Quiet Girl Won [24]
British Academy Film Awards 19 February 2023 Best Adapted Screenplay Colm Bairéad Nominated [25]
Best Film Not in the English Language The Quiet Girl Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival 17 February 2022 The Grand Prix of the International Jury in Generation Kplus An Cailín Ciúin Won [26]
Special Mention from Children’s Jury An Cailín Ciúin Won
Dublin International Film Festival 27 February 2022 Best Irish Film An Cailín Ciúin Won [27]
Audience Award An Cailín Ciúin Won
Aer Lingus Discovery Award Colm Bairéad Won
Golden Reel Awards 26 February 2023 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Foreign Language Feature Steve Fanagan, Louise Burton, Caoimhe Doyle Nominated [28]
IFTA Film & Drama Awards 12 March 2022 Best Film An Cailín Ciúin Won [29]
[30]
Best Director - Film Colm Bairéad Won
Best Lead Actress - Film Catherine Clinch Won
Best Supporting Actress - Film Carrie Crowley Nominated
Best Editing John Murphy Won
Best Production Design Emma Lowney Won
Best Cinematography Kate McCullough Won
Best Costume Design Louise Stanton Nominated
Best Sound Steve Fanagan, John "Bob" Brennan, Brendan Rehill Nominated
Best Original Music Stephen Rennicks Won
Screen Ireland Rising Star Award Colm Bairéad Won
London Film Critics' Circle 5 February 2023 British/Irish Film of the Year An Cailín Ciúin Nominated [31]
[32]
Foreign Language Film of the Year An Cailín Ciúin Won
Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker of the Year Colm Bairéad Nominated
Young British/Irish Performer of the Year Catherine Clinch Nominated
Palm Springs International Film Festival 16 January 2023 Best International Feature Film An Cailín Ciúin Nominated [33]
Satellite Awards 11 February 2023 Best Motion Picture – International An Cailín Ciúin Nominated [34]
Sydney Film Festival 19 June 2022 Best Film An Cailín Ciúin Nominated [35]
Audience Awards An Cailín Ciúin 3rd place
Taipei Film Festival 8 July 2022 Audience Choice Award An Cailín Ciúin Won [36]
International New Talent Competition - Grand Prize An Cailín Ciúin Nominated
Valladolid International Film Festival 29 October 2022 Silver Spike An Cailín Ciúin Won [37]
Audience Award An Cailín Ciúin Won

See also

References

  1. ^ "An Cailín Ciúin". Break Out Pictures. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Irish feature films An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) and About Joan selected for the Berlin International Film Festival". www.screenireland.ie. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Meath-made film wins Grand Prix award at Berlin festival". Meath Chronicle. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Fanacht | Screen Ireland". www.screenireland.ie. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  5. ^ "The Quiet Girl". Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2022 – via mubi.com.
  6. ^ McHugh, Connell. "Irish-language film An Cailín Ciúin wins at Berlin International Film Festival". The Irish Post. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  7. ^ Anderson, Alexandra. "Irish language film An Cailín Ciúin wins historic Grand Prix award at Berlin Film Festival". Hotpress. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Irish film An Cailín Ciúin honoured at Berlin festival". 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2022 – via RTÉ TEN.
  9. ^ Brady, Tara. "Making An Cailín Ciúin: 'An Irish-language film going toe to toe with world cinema was special'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 30 October 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  10. ^ "The Quiet Girl". Busan International Film Festival. 7 September 2022. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  11. ^ "An Cailín Ciúin / The Quiet Girl". Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  12. ^ "The Quiet Girl: Irish-language film breaks box office records in Ireland and UK". The Guardian. 12 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  13. ^ "An Cailín Ciúin continues to break box office records". RTÉ. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  14. ^ "The Quiet Girl". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  15. ^ "The Quiet Girl Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  16. ^ Davide Abbatescianni (14 March 2022). "The Quiet Girl wins big at this year's Irish Film & Television Awards". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  17. ^ Tara Brady (7 May 2022). "Making An Cailín Ciúin: 'An Irish-language film going toe to toe with world cinema was special'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  18. ^ "An Cailín Ciúin / The Quiet Girl – Followed by a Q&A with the Writer, Director Colm Bairéad". Irish Cultural Centre. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  19. ^ The Hot Press Newsdesk. "An Cailín Ciúin / The Quiet Girl has been shortlisted for an Oscar as Best International Feature Film". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  20. ^ "An Cailín Ciúin: Irish language film shortlisted for an Oscar". BBC News. 21 December 2022. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  21. ^ Barnes, Mike (9 February 2023). "Oscar Wilde Awards: Irish-Language Film 'The Quiet Girl' to Be Honored (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  22. ^ "Oscars 2023: Record 14 Irish nominations as The Banshees of Inisherin and An Cailín Ciúin lead charge". The Irish Times. 24 January 2023. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  23. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (9 January 2023). "'The Batman,' 'Top Gun: Maverick,' 'Elvis' Nominated by American Society of Cinematographers". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  24. ^ "'The Quiet Girl' Grand Prix de l'UCC 2024". Cinéart. 8 January 2024. Archived from the original on 26 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Irish talent has a great day at BAFTA nominations". rte.ie. 19 January 2023. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  26. ^ "Awards & Honours 2022" (Press release). Berlin International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  27. ^ "An Cailín Ciúin scoops Virgin Media Audience Award". RTÉ. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  28. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (9 January 2023). "'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Leads Sound Editors' Golden Reel Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  29. ^ "'An Cailín Ciúin,' 'Kin' Win Big at Irish Film and Television Academy Awards; Michael Moore Pays Ukraine Tribute". Variety. 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  30. ^ "WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT THE IFTA AWARDS 2022" (Press release). Irish Film & Television Academy. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  31. ^ Pulver, Andrew (21 December 2022). "The Banshees of Inisherin leads pack as London film critics announce nominations". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  32. ^ David Lawrence, Daniel (5 February 2023). "'The Banshees of Inisherin' and 'Tár' Win Big at the London Critics' Circle Film Awards". Collider. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  33. ^ Haring, Bruce (15 January 2023). "'Saint Omer' Takes Top Honors At 34th Palm Springs Film Festival". Deadline. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  34. ^ Anderson, Erik (8 December 2022). "'Top Gun: Maverick' leads International Press Academy's 27th Satellite Awards nominations". Awards Watch. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  35. ^ "SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL AUDIENCE AWARDS ANNOUNCED" (PDF) (Press release). Sydney Film Festival. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  36. ^ "Taipei Film Festival announces International New Talent Competition Winners" (Press release). Taipei Film Festival. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  37. ^ "El chino Li Ruijun, galardonado con la Espiga de Oro de la Seminci con 'Return to Dust'". rtve.es. 29 October 2022.
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