The Quiet Girl – A Touching Contemplative Drama (Early Review)

If one wanted to do a double feature of Aftersun and The Quiet Girl, they would be in for an emotionally heavy afternoon. Both are quiet (no pun intended), contemplative films that prefer showing the audience what it wants to say rather than saying it. The film, like Aftersun, is driven by its performances, led by an amazing Catherine Clinch, wanting the audience to emotionally connect to the story and the characters. It follows Cáit (Clinch), a neglected young girl who doesn’t have a lot to say. When she is sent to her relatives’ house for the summer, she receives the love and care she’s always craved. However, at times, the film can seem a little too restrained which sometimes make its pacing feel a little too slow, but its heart ultimately lies in Clinch’s beautiful debut performance as Cáit and the relationship she forms with her extended family members.

The film early on establishes Cáit’s home and school life where she is either picked on or neglected. When her mother is expecting again, she is sent to live with her aunt and uncle. While her aunt is warm and welcoming, her uncle is the opposite. Even though the film’s themes are simple and straightforward such as exploring love and one’s desire to be loved worked. Though they worked for the most part, something about the film felt too restrained. Doing more showing than telling, rather than explaining its ideas to the viewer, the film uses lingering shots to convey Cáit’s loneliness and desire for love. Its restraint certainly worked for what it was trying to convey, but that made it somewhat difficult to emotionally connect to the characters and the story. When that connection did come, it was unfortunately too little too late.

As a film, The Quiet Girl is simple with no detours or pit stops along the way. Even though its premise is easy enough to follow, its pacing requires a lot of patience. As the story unfolds over 94 minutes, Bairéad’s subtle and quiet method of conveying details to the audience can cause the pacing to suffer a little bit. One can certainly appreciate the attention to detail he shows but for those who lack the patience to sit through the slow, contemplative way the film moves, they will find themselves at a distance. While the way the film moves is not for everyone, the ending is sure to warm the coldest of hearts. Despite the struggle to connect with the film on a deep emotional level, one still wants the best for Cáit by the end. Seeing her flourish in the care of her aunt and uncle as opposed to the way she is neglected at home makes the viewer want what is best for her.

The strongest point of the film is certainly the character dynamics. Cáit’s dynamic with her aunt Eibhlín Cinnsealach (Crowley) is seen as the mother she doesn’t have, her understanding manner is new to Cáit. Being one of several siblings doesn’t allow for her to receive a lot of attention at home but with Eibhlín doting over her like one of her own, she gets to understand what love feels like. However, her relationship with her uncle Seán (Bennett) is the most understated. Though he is at first distant with her, he later makes attempts to connect with her. These attempts generate some of the most emotional moments of the film. These work in part due to the excellent chemistry between the three. 

The Quiet Girl is a small, contemplative film that takes its time showing what it wants to the viewer. It requires patience, which is rewarded by its emotional payoff. Though it is perhaps a little too slow and maybe a little too restrained, and maybe emotionally connecting with the characters can be difficult, it makes up for those faults with its brilliant performances and a touching story.

In the end, this touching story about a girl and a couple both looking for love and a family does just enough to warm even the coldest of hearts. 

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

Canadian audiences can watch The Quiet Girl in select theatres starting March 3rd, courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Jasmine Graham