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Films Worth Watching by
iofilm
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| Facing the
superior in Magdalene Sisters |
The Magdalene Sisters
Reviewed by The Wolf
Girls with a convent education tell shocking stories about how bitchy
and petty minded the nuns were. Protestant boys, who might have suffered
from a master’s favoritism, nod sympathetically. What they don’t
appreciate is the power the Catholic church had over the psychological
and moral well being of entire generations, especially in a country
like Ireland.
It used to be de rigueur in Britain for the sons of a certain class
to go to boarding school at seven years old, where institutionalized
bullying and corporal punishment were an accepted part of the make-a-man-of-’em
philosophy. Parents, especially fathers, condoned this, believing,
in some dysfunctional way, that cruelty was character building.
The tradition of the Magdalene laundries in Ireland was also condoned
by the parents of girls who showed signs of sexual independence. The
laundries were convents, where the miscreants were banished after
committing sins of the flesh, real or imaginary, such as having a
baby out of wedlock, or flirting with boys. Once inside, they were
treated as slave labor and allowed no privileges. Sometimes, they
remained there for the rest of their lives, while the church benefited
financially and the word of the Lord prevailed.
Peter Mullan’s film follows the experience of three girls in
the mid-sixties, who are virtually kidnapped, with parental approval,
and removed by force to one of these places, where the mother superior
(Geraldine McEwan) issues a firm decree at the outset: "Disobedience
will not be tolerated." The popular belief amongst local lads
is that the inmates at the Magdalene are whores and trollops.
Margaret (Annie-Marie Duff) is raped by her cousin during a wedding
party and the shame on the family is such that she is whisked off
by the morality police, without explanation or possibility of appeal.
Rose (Dorothy Duffy) lies in a bed at the maternity wing when her
father and a priest arrive. "Did you see the baby, Da?"
she pleads. "He’s beautiful." She is ignored. The
priest insists that she sign adoption papers, after which the child
is taken immediately and she finds herself in the convent dormitory,
weeping from the pain of unexpressed milk. Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone)
has dancing eyes and a wicked smile. "I know a little temptress
when I see one," her teacher spits. She teases the boys, leaning
on the railings around the playground, because it’s fun and
she doesn’t care. Although a virgin, she is escorted to the
Magdalene as a precautionary measure, to keep her out of trouble.
Mullan’s approach is unsentimental. The humiliation and emotional
deprivation suffered by the girls makes everyone else’s horror
school stories pale into insignificance. The nuns are not evil women,
with sadistic tendencies. They are misguided religious guards, who
take pleasure tormenting their prisoners. Perhaps, that is the same
thing.
There are precious few laughs in this prisoner-of-God movie. The intensity
of the experience builds up to bursting point. Little incidents of
humanity relieve the tension, as when Margaret has a chance of escape,
only to find the outside world more scary than what she knows, or
when Bernadette promises the van driver’s assistant carnal favors
in exchange for the key to the door: "I’ll commit any sin,
mortal or otherwise, to get out of here."
The performances have a raw naiveté that cuts clean to the
truth. Noone’s ability to radiate sexual frivolity and ruthless
determination in the same breath is impressive, while Eileen Walsh’s
depiction of a girl driven mad by God’s indifference stands
out amongst a plethora of fine acting.
Movie Round-up
by Robert Alstead
Set in a Maori fishing village in New Zealand, Whale Rider
follows a plucky 11-year-old girl, Pai, who finds herself crossing
her loving, but stern grandfather, Koro. As tribal chief, he is set
on finding a boy to continue his lineage, to lead his people "out
of the darkness," and he doesn’t like it when a girl starts
meddling with "the old ways." Director Niki Caro’s
deft handling of the theme of Pai’s mystical connection with
whales and a strong Maori ensemble ensures that this is both a convincing
and evocative tale.
Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets was made in 1984,
but is back again "by popular demand." It focuses on the
human relationship with this famous 270-mile-long gash in the earth,
recreating scenes of the first inhabitants of the canyon and retelling
the story of the first pioneers who "discovered" it. The
tone is a little hokey, often a problem with IMAX movies, but the
visuals are breathtaking. There are some impressive white water rafting
sequences and wonderful shots that swoop over the ridges of rock faces
and fly along the riverbeds in the depths of the canyon itself. It’s
at the IMAX until Sept 4.
If you haven’t seen it yet, go see Winged Migration.
This beautifully shot documentary captures the drama and endurance
of different species of birds as they make their epic annual migrations
from one end of the Earth to the other. The cinematographers used
all types of ingenious techniques to give us a truly bird’s
eye view of these fantastic journeys.
Finally, the Vancouver International Film Festival recently announced
a sponsorship deal with VanCity to support the development of the
183-seat Vancouver International Film Centre at 1181 Seymour Street.
The three-story, 14,000 sq. ft. venue is due to be completed by fall
2004.
Movie reviews provided by iofilm.com.
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