"The Irish in Film"

The Irish Studies series concludes on October 25 with "The Quiet Girl"/"An Cailin Ciuin" (2023), an Irish-language film with English subtitles based on Clare Keegan's novella, "Foster." The film, directed by Colm Bairead, is about an unwanted child and stars Catherine Clinch as Cait, a quiet, 9 year-old of a poor, dysfunctional family in rural Ireland. The film is told from Cait's viewpoint. As Cait's overburdened mother is pregnant with her sixth child, the girl is sent to live with Eibhlin and Sean Kinsella, distant relatives.  The contrast between Cait's own parents, Mary and Dan, and the Kinsellas is stark, especially in the portrayal of the fathers. Dan is brutish, hard-drinking and irresponsible, while Sean is his opposite. Cait blossoms into a happy, talkative girl with her foster parents, but at summer's end, she must return to her harsh reality.  In Cait's coming-of-age, she learns an important lesson.