“The Quiet Girl” (An Cailín Ciúin) is a 2022 Irish drama film written and directed by Colm Bairéad. The film is set in 1981; it follows Cáit, a nine-year-old girl who gets to experience what it’s like to live in a loving home for the first time when she spends the summer on a farm with distant relatives.
Cáit is one of many siblings living with her neglectful parents in rural Ireland. Cáit is withdrawn, struggles to fit in at school, and is mostly a loner in her own home. When her mother becomes pregnant again, they send her away to live with middle-aged distant cousin Eibhlín and her husband, Seán.
Cáit arrives at their home with no luggage, just the clothes she is wearing, which immediately puts Eibhlín at unease with Cáits father, who claimed to have accidentally forgotten her suitcase. Eibhlín welcomes Cáit into the Cinnsealach home, showing her love and teaching her how to do chores around the farm.
One day she shows Cáit a well on the property and tells her the water has healing qualities but warns the well is deep and to be extremely careful when getting water from it.
Seán is withdrawn and seems to intentionally acts coldly towards Cáit. One day when Eibhlín travels away for the day, Cáit goes with Seán to work on the farm. While cleaning a cow milking area, Cáit wanders off, with Seán being unaware. Seán notices she has disappeared and panics. After searching for her franticly, he finds her and scolds her, insisting she never wanders off again. Cáit is frightened by his angry outburst and runs back to the house. This is a turning moment for Seán, who expresses remorse and decides to try to bond with Cáit. Slowly, the two become close.
During her stay with the Cinnsealach family, they attend a wake. Cáit becomes bored and restless, and a neighbor of the Cinnsealachs offers to take Cáit for a walk and get her out of the house for an hour or so. Eibhlín is reluctant at first but eventually agrees. While the woman and Cáit walk, the woman tells Cáit that Eibhlín and Seán once had a son, but he drowned in the family slurry pit a few years prior.
Later, when Cáit is picked up from the neighbor’s house, they notice she is withdrawn and extremely quiet, which prompts them to ask her what is wrong. Cáit tells them what the neighbor said, which upsets them, but it’s true.
After a month of staying there, they get word that Cáit’s mother has given birth and has asked the Cinnsealachs to return Cáit home. Cáit, Eibhlín, and Seán each express sadness that she has to leave. One afternoon Cáit sneaks off to the well to fetch water. In doing so, she falls in. A panicked Eibhlín finds Cáit soaking wet and shivering in a field, which causes her to catch a bad cold. Because of Cáits cold, it delays the inevitable, the returning Cáit back home.
Upon arrival, her mother barely acknowledges her, and her father immediately chastises Cáit for sneezing; this causes a tense atmosphere between the Cinnsealachs, who have both clearly become very protective of Cáit. Eibhlín and Seán express to Cáit’s parents that she can stay with them anytime. At this point, both reluctantly say their goodbyes. As the Cinnsealachs drive down the driveway and around a corner, Cáit suddenly runs from her garden and sprints toward the car, catching up to the couple as Seán closes the gate. She leaps, embracing Seán while Eibhlín sobs quietly in the car. Cáit looks back and sees her father angrily making his way toward them. In one of the most emotionally gripping moments in the film, and says quietly “Daddy” to alert Seán to his presence. After a brief pause, she says “Daddy” again.
The film is a coming-of-age drama that is exquisitely executed, balancing the subtle tones and nuance throughout the film with outstanding performances by Catherine Clinch as Cáit, Carrie Crowley as Eibhlín and Andrew Bennett as Seán.
The film was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.
The Other Cinema 