MAGDALENE SISTERS, THE
Released: August 1, 2003
Being a woman in Ireland isn't easy, as "The Magdalene Sisters" demonstrates. A young woman is raped and tells of her plight only to be sent to a Roman Catholic laundry for "bad girls". Another woman happens to be an unmarried mother and yet another is simply exploring the power of her blossoming sexuality with the guys in her town. Like a criminal, these young women are forced to be confined to a seven day a week relentless work schedule at the laundry. The things these women endure make the grit of prison life in "Oz" seem like summer camp. The movie is set in the 60s and our three leads attempt to follow the rules but are utterly aware the next step for them is to have their soul crushed by the monster Nuns. Unwilling to be broken down, the women take matters into their own hands. Played by Anne-Marie Duff and Nora-Jane Noone, the two main characters are given life with harrowing conviction. That this sort of thing went on in Ireland for decades is only less scary when I discovered that the practice of these "Magdalene Sister" laundries were a very real aspect of Irish life until as recently as 1996. There's no happy endings in this movie. Each character has their own destiny, not all are the triumphant feel-good variety but then this isn't a movie of simply escaping the "bad guys", rather, this is about being in a bad situation and gathering the strength and courage to do something about it.
119 Minutes
Miramax/Buena Vista