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The Quiet Girl 12 rating

A neglected girl lives a joyful summer in Colm Bairéad's Academy Award-nominated debut that combines outstanding beauty and heart-wrenching performances.

Drama 2021 91 mins

Director: Colm Bairéad

CC

Overview

With a baby brother on the way and several other siblings jostling for food and space, Cáit’s distracted parents send her away to live with distant relatives for the summer. There, in a house with “no secrets”, Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley) and her husband Seán (Andrew Bennett, Angela’s Ashes) show her a level of attention and affection that is completely alien to her. Under their care, Cáit - an exquisite performance from young star Catherine Clinch - blossoms and develops from timid houseguest to surrogate daughter. Adapted from Claire Keegan’s novella ‘Foster’ by first-time feature director Colm Bairéad, this is a profoundly moving and tender film that will stay with you long after the credits have stopped rolling.

An Cailín Ciúin, its original title, made history as the first Irish-language feature to show at Berlinale, winning the Grand Prix Award for Best Film in the Generation Kplus strand. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature as well as BAFTA nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Not in the English Language.

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