Ann

Astonishing. A harrowing but necessary watch. Had to pause it several times until my weeping stopped. Not easy viewing and all the more remarkable for the omerta still in operation nearly 40 years on in Granard. A very narrow depth of field focussing on the characters reveals that a lot more can be interpreted from pauses and silences. The unanswered questions say more about the Ireland that existed at the time than any explanation could. Given that Mother and Baby Homes were in operation in Ireland at the time, it is no surprise why a pregnancy to an unmarried female would not be revealed. The choice would have been to be incarcerated in one of those homes and have your child forcibly taken from you, or being shamed from the pulpit. Anyone under 30 will be surprised that this was the Ireland that existed for their parents when they were growing up.

I had really high expectations about this story, hoping the film would deal with the times, causes and aftermath. Covered none of these, in my view was most important to this shameful moment in Irish history.

If you look further , which I did after watching I was disappointed to see this barely scratched the surface of an important issue.

For someone of my generation it reminded me of a story I remembered but unsure if someone in their 30's or 30's would know the story or would understand the times. Wouldn't grab their attention.

I don't fault the acting but overall a missed opportunity by the director and producers. The story, from 40 years go deserved a better telling.