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Review

Operating at full strength through the 1970s, the Irish Catholic church sanctioned homes for wayward girls in the hope to redeem their souls sufficiently to get them into heaven. But the homes were little more than laundry-processing sweatshops operated like a prison, and the girls' offenses ranged from single motherhood to simply being pretty and flirting. There is no way to get out unless a family member (who has often disowned the girl completely) comes in, no way to communicate the conditions with the outside world. Sadly, the girls often end up committing more egregious sins inside just to survive, from bartering sex (for escape or mere survival) to losing compassion for their fellow humans. It is quite telling that, while the Vatican was quick to condemn this movie, there has been no apology forthcoming from the church for the fact-based events depicted within. However, with the constant and often sexual humliations, The Magdalene Sisters has trouble escaping the feel of a women-in-prison exploitation movie. If watching girls suffer for two hours qualifies as feminist filmmaking, then Rocco Siffredi is Gloria-fucking-Steinem. Mullan compensates with a dour tone that makes the events even harder to take. Yet his visual style is bracing, using crushing telephoto lenses to accentuate the girls' sense of isolation, and the story, of course, is gripping and must be told.

 -- David Gorgos