Peter Mullan has said that the film was initially made because victims of Magdalene Asylums had no closure. They hadn't received any recognition, compensation, or apology. Many remained lifelong devout Catholics.
Former Magdalene Asylum inmate Mary-Jo McDonagh told director and writer Peter Mullan that the reality of the Magdalene Asylums was much worse than depicted in the film.
The film shows the asylum experimenting with washing machines. The widespread adaptation of the household appliance would become a significant factor to the asylums' economic viability being fatally undermined and led to their ultimate closure.
The film was inspired by the documentary Sex in a Cold Climate (1998) produced and directed by Steve Humphries.
Nora-Jane Noone was 17-years-old at the time of filming. During the shoot, she agreed to do a nude scene, to reflect the humiliating awfulness of life at the laundries. "If you can't show your body when you're young, when can you?" her mother told her.
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