Synopsis
Four women are given into the custody of the Magdalene sisterhood asylum to correct their sinful behavior: Crispina and Rose have given birth to a premarital child, Margaret got raped by her cousin and the orphan Bernadette had been repeatedly caught flirting with the boys. All have to work in a laundry under the strict supervision of the nuns, who break their wills through sadistic punishment.
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Cast
- Anne-Marie DuffMargaret
- Nora-Jane NooneBernadette
- Dorothy DuffyRose
- Geraldine McEwanSister Bridget
- Eileen WalshCrispina
- Mary MurrayUna
- Eamonn OwensEamonn
- Britta SmithKaty
- Peter MullanMr O'Connor
- Eithne McGuinnessSister Clementine
Recommendations
- 100
Christian Science Monitor
A pungent, powerful film that points an accusing finger not at religious beliefs but at flawed human institutions. It also targets social and cultural mores that are almost medieval in their patriarchal bias against girls and women. - 100
Boston Globe
Blistering and brilliant work. - 90
Slate
Both a masterpiece and a holy hell: Watching it, you feel you're being punished for a crime you didn't commit. Which puts you, come to think of it, in the same frame of mind as those poor Magdalene girls. - 83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
It is passionate and angry and rousing where you might expect it to become numbing and depressing. - 80
Variety
Mullan's increased maturity as a director is evident in his skill at manipulating light and dark dramatic tones, and shifting between moods of anger and plaintive melancholy. - 80
L.A. Weekly
Grim, grueling and triumphantly powerful. - 80
The New York Times
The Magdalene Sisters would be too painful to watch if it didn't have a silver lining. Suffice it to say that it is possible to fly over this religious cuckoo's nest and remain free. All it takes is courage and the timely kindness of strangers. - 75
Rolling Stone
Mullan errs by making all the sisters dragon ladies. Still, the film gets to you; it's a powerhouse.
