The Magdalene Sisters

[MacGuffin]

One of the best films of the year. A powerfully crafted film. The humiliation and torture these girls were put through brings so much anger and sadness. I was fighting back tears. There were many scenes of such excellence (the "You are not a man of God!" scene; the contest). The acting by all the girls was top notch, and hopefully this film will go on bring these newcomers deserved recognition and more roles.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has seen this and agrees with me.

[pete]

there's a lady who walked out of the theater that I work in today just sobbing uncontrollably, I mean, she was tremling and shaking and like angry, as if she lost someone, and her friends were trying to comfort her, just because of that movie.

[Ghostboy]

It was very good. The Catholic Church keeps getting it stuck to them, huh? Although in all fairness, there were apparently protestant Magadlene laundries as well.

My sole contention was that it became an escape movie -- one that was very well handled, dramatically, but I was sort of hoping to get into more psychological territory. I wish the girl who was caught at the beginning,and eventually became a nun, had been one of the main characters. That story arc would have been even more wrenching, but it might have provided some insight into the nuns and why they were the way they were. As it is, we're left to assume a lot on their part.

But yes, it's an excellent film. I want to see the documentary (Sex In A Cold Climate, I think is the title). Peter Mullan said that he was told by survivors that he went soft on the nun. I shudder to think.

[rustinglass]

It's a great film. I liked it a lot. I love the ending.

[©brad]

wait is this just out in theaters now? cuz i remember reading about it in europe a looooong time ago.

want to see it though.

[mutinyco]

Yeah, that's Miramax for you. They waited for the Church controversy to subside. It played at last year's New York Film Festival -- literally a year ago. I was wondering then whether it was ever actually going to be released Stateside.

[pete]

yeah and now miramax is suffocating shaolin soccer and hero to death.  I was so psyched upon hearing they were gonna do shaolin soccer subtitled, but now it's dead.

[MacGuffin]

Miramax Home Entertainment has released disc specs for the DVD release of the Magdalene Sisters which has picked up a number of awards including the Discovery Award at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival. The film stars Geraldine McEwan and Anne-Marie Duff and will be available to own from the 23rd March next year. Here are the disc specs:

Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Track
French Dolby Digital 5.1 Track
Sex In A Cold Climate Documentary
French & Spanish Subtitles

[cine]

Cover art for DVD:


DVD review here.

[El Duderino]

i went to a screening way back when and Nora Jane-Noone was there for a Q and A, she's so great and really hot in person. I shook her hand, she's the only really good, strong actress that i've met. anyways, the film was great and Peter Mullan is a great director.

[Thrindle]

***SPOILERS***

I just finished watching this movie.  I think that perhaps I am drained at the moment because typing this post is actually difficult.  Unbelievable movie.

I have one rather cynical point to make: I was really upset by Margaret, the girl who was raped by her cousin.  What bothered me was that she was punished for what someone had done to her.  She had been raped and yet four years of her life were spent in prison.  It is not so different today.  People do not believe the "victim" (I hate that word).  And it seems that the only time that they do, is when they themselves have been raped, or they've been affiliated with it.

Guess what everybody, bad things don't necessarily happen to simply bad people.

I thought that the most moving scene was when she yelled at her brother when he came to take her away.  It was all of the repressed emotion spilled into a single moment.  Stunning.

[molly]

wait is this just out in theaters now? cuz i remember reading about it in europe a looooong time ago.

want to see it though.

Here it should come directly on VHS, but i don't know when.
It's a great film, everybody who saw it said it was powerful.

[MacGuffin]

The doc on the DVD (Sex In A Cold Climate) is just as powerful as the film because it's told by four women who actually experienced it, and it rounds out more of what the film just touched upon (including Thrindle's point). The lady whose baby was taken away was heartbreaking. An excellent companion piece to the film; better than a commentary track.

[bonanzataz]

shoot. i returned it to netflix before i could watch it.

[molly]

i've read an interview with the director, and he said that he was affraid to put in the movie some stories that he heard while researching, because he was affraid people wouldn't believe him, the stories were so horrific