An Cailín Ciúin is a simple film. It is a story about a young girl called Cait who lives with her large family of 4 sisters, her pregnant mom and her less than charming dad. One day her mam and dad decide they need some time away from Cait so they send her to the mam’s cousins. This older couple takes Cait in and over the course of the Summer brings this quiet girl out of her shell.
An Cailín Ciúin – A quiet girl, a powerful story
As I said earlier An Cailín Ciúin is a simple story but it is told masterfully. The film is told from Cait’s perspective and you can see how she feels about other people in the film by how the camera rests on them at times. Speaking on the cinematography An Cailín Ciúin is a gorgeous film. There is something with every scene involving liquids, mainly water, that feels magical and that is what this film feels like at times, magical. This is helped by the beautiful Irish countryside that is brimming with colour and life.
Cait is shown proper love within the household of the Cinnsealach’s. Eibhlínn is a wonderful figure to enter into Cait’s life. She is a soothing balm that helps wash away the muck and grime of Cait’s home. Carrie Crowley plays her with a warm grace that you can’t help fall in love with. Her husband Seán (played by Andrew Bennett) is a slightly harder figure to understand. As the film progresses though and we learn more about the man he becomes somebody relatable and sweet.
She says as much as she needs to say
What makes An Cailín Ciúin so great is that it focuses on the surprisingly relatable plight of Cait. Her journey towards happiness is one you so desperately want her to achieve. However, with the film rooted in our world, you don’t know if she’ll truly be happy in the end. This makes for an emotional experience with An Cailín Ciúin.
With an intimate cast giving relatable and compelling performances An Cailín Ciúin is easily one of the best films of the year. It’s not like anything out at the moment and deserves your attention. It will leave you devasted by the end but it’s a kind of pain that you will appreciate. I’m very happy I got to see this film and I hope you check it out when you have the chance.
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