The Quiet Girl: A New Take on Loneliness
Directed by Colm Bairéad, The Quiet Girl comes as one of many of Bairéad’s successful short films. The film has garnered critic acclaim, reaching a new audience as it explores the many themes of loneliness. The film comes as a newly Academy nominated feature and it’s no secret that this Irish drama is only one peek into the mind of director Colm Bairéad. Born and raised in Dublin, Bairéad has directed a multitude of award-winning short films that have left an immense impact on the truths behind Irish culture. Bairéad used film to bring the dying Irish language back to life, and The Quiet Girl is one example of that success.
What makes The Quiet Girl so great?
Set in Rural Ireland 1981, The Quiet Girl explores the harrowing journey of a young girl named Cáit. The story touches upon a multitude of topics throughout its plot, discussing absence, subdued sadness, loneliness, and kindness above all. The young girl’s experiences cover the pains of parental neglect and weave through the many layers of fostering. However, the film has a complete understanding of the meaning of family, creating a gradual bond with its audience the same way it did between foster family and child. There is a disastrous beauty to the Irish-spoken film that can almost be described as melancholic. While it comes as a reimagining of a 2010 novella, The Quiet Girl breaks the silence on abandonment wounds.
The Quiet Girl’s Take on Loneliness:
All while watching The Quiet Girl, one can’t help but feel a ticking clock numbing the noise in the background. It is as though one movement in the theater might cause a chain reaction that breaks the newly built bridge made between the girl and trust. The film touches upon loneliness all throughout. While it builds its plot around a family narrative, the film shares Cáit’s perspective of an empty childhood. The audience watches as the young girl lets silence encapsulate her; and by the end of the film, that isolation has whittled. However, just as loneliness was quick to leave, it is made clear that nothing is infinite in the film. The audience is taken on an exploration through the many layers of abandonment and trust. It is moving, heartfelt, and gives the viewer a new perspective on reality.
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