Set in 1981, the film follows a withdrawn nine-year-old girl raised by neglectful parents among many other siblings, who experiences a loving home for the first time when she spends the summer on a farm in Rinn Gaeltacht, County Waterford, alone with a married couple who are distant relatives. It is mostly in the Irish language, although it also contains parts in English.
In the summer of 1981, nine-year-old Cáit is one of many siblings, living with her impoverished and neglectful parents in rural Ireland. She struggles to fit in at school, including an incident where she is ashamed when a cup of milk is spilled onto her lap. With her mother pregnant again, it is decided to send their quiet daughter away to live with middle-aged distant cousin Eibhlín Cinnsealach (Kinsella) and her husband Seán.
When Cáit arrives, Eibhlín immediately welcomes her into the Cinnsealach home, showing her love and teaching her how to do chores around the house and farm. She shows Cáit a well on the property, while warning that the well is deep and to exercise caution when retrieving water from it. Eibhlín places Cáit in a spare bedroom, where she later fears an adult entering the room, and eventually wets the bed. As Cáit's luggage was left behind in the car, Eibhlín initially dresses her with boys' clothes left in the wardrobe. She later buys Cáit new girls' clothes.
Seán is withdrawn and initially acts coldly towards his foster daughter. One day when Eibhlín is away, Cáit accompanies Seán to the far side of the farm, the latter cleaning the milking parlour. While he is occupied, Cáit wanders off. Once Seán notices her absence, he panics and searches for her on the property. After finding her, he scolds her and orders her to never wander off again. Frightened by his sudden bout of anger, Cáit runs back to the house. Seán expresses remorse and begins to make an effort to bond with Cáit. He encourages her to run to fetch the mail, turning it into a pleasant ritual, praising her speed. Slowly, she opens up to Seán, and the two become close.
One day, the Cinnsealach family attend a wake. Seeing Cáit getting restless at the event while Eibhlín and Seán comfort their friends, a gossipy neighbour offers to look after her for a couple of hours. Eibhlín hesitates, but agrees. While the woman and Cáit walk together, the former reveals that the Cinnsealachs had a young son who drowned in the family slurry pit some years before Cáit's arrival.
When the Cinnsealachs later pick Cáit up from the neighbour's house, they notice her withdrawn demeanour and ask what the neighbour said to her. Cáit tells them the truth, which quietly upsets them, but they do not deny the neighbour's story.
Over a month into her stay, Cáit's mother has given birth and has requested for the Cinnsealachs to return Cáit in time for the start of the school year. Cáit, Eibhlín and Seán each express their subdued sadness at having to part. Cáit sneaks off to the well to fetch water but falls in, overwhelmed by her rapidly filling bucket. A distressed Eibhlín, searching for Cáit, finds her soaked and shivering and comforts her. Cáit develops a cold.
A few days later, Eibhlín and Seán drive Cáit back to her home. Her mother barely acknowledges her daughter's return, and her father immediately chastises Cáit for sneezing. After a tension-filled conversation between the adults, with Eibhlín telling Cáit's parents that the girl is welcome to stay with them at any time, they reluctantly bid farewell to Cáit and begin to drive off.
While watching the car disappear down the long driveway, Cáit suddenly sprints toward it, managing to catch up to the couple as Seán is closing the gate. They embrace, while Eibhlín sobs quietly in the car. As Cáit looks over Seán's shoulder, she sees her father angrily marching toward them and says "Daddy". She closes her eyes and says "Daddy" again.
Most of the dialogue in the film is in Waterford Irish, a form of Munster Irish.[3] Some local forms and words that can be heard in the film are given below.[4]
Dé chúis - Cén fáth - 'why'
Habú/Leabú - Leaba - 'bed/go to bed'
Fuireach - Fanacht - 'wait'
Thá - Tá - 'it is'
Fhéach - Féach - 'look'
Ruch - Rith - 'run'
Aireachas - Aire - 'attention'
Production
The Quiet Girl is based on Foster, a 2010 novella in English by Claire Keegan. The film was originally titled Fanacht ("Waiting"). It was filmed in Dublin and County Meath, with Meath locations including Summerhill, Moynalvey (including Fagan's Pub), Curraghtown, Garlow Cross, Trim, and Clonymeath.[5][6]
Release
The Quiet Girl premiered at the Berlinale on 11 February 2022. It won a Crystal Bear from the Generation Kplus International Jury for Best Film and received a special mention from the children's jury.[7] The jury stated that "It is a film with a delicate story full of details about childhood, grief, parenthood and rebuilding a family. The very strong narrative is combined with a stunning cinematography. The sound and the images create a unique atmosphere."[8][9]
It broke box office records for the opening weekend of an Irish-language film and became the highest-grossing Irish-language film of all time.[13][14][15]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 96% approval rating based on reviews from 97 critics, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's consensus reads, "A remarkable debut for writer-director Colm Bairéad, The Quiet Girl offers a deceptively simple reminder that the smallest stories can leave a large emotional impact."[16] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 based on 29 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[17]
Accolades
The Quiet Girl received 11 nominations at the 18th Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTAs) in March 2022, and won in seven categories.[18] The film was the first Irish-language film to showcase at the Berlin Film Festival and win the Best Film award at the IFTAs.[19][20] In December 2022 the film became the first Irish-language film to be shortlisted for an Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category.[21][22]
