44/47
Cillian Murphy is a fan of the film’s original novel writer, Claire Keegan
Plot
In 1985, devout Father Bill Furlong uncovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and discovers shocking truths of his own. He remembers reading her novel “Foster” on a train and having to cover his face with his hoodie because he was crying. Featured on 60 Minutes: Crisis at the Red Sea / False Electors / Searching for Cillian Murphy (2024).
I won’t go into the story too much
I could watch Murphy staring at a wall watching paint dry for 2 hours and I’d still buy a ticket. Here, as Bill Furlong, he conveys a sadness that those close to him rarely see or understand. But we (the audience) can see that it’s there.
Honestly, there’s not much there
But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. It just means it’s a simple story, but very well written, beautifully shot (the whole time I believed I was in Ireland during the 1980s), and incredibly well acted. The Magdalene Laundries existed until 1996, when the last one closed.
Sometimes, they were physically abused and mistreated as well
Unmarried, pregnant teenagers were sent to monasteries to give birth and lost their children to forced adoptions. Meanwhile, the nuns who ran the laundries mistreated them as cheap labour. It has left a mark on the soul of the country.
Eileen Walsh, who plays Mrs Furlong, also starred in The Magdalene Sisters, a 2003 film
Coincidence or not – I suggest you watch it because it is the perfect ending to this gem of a film.