The Magdalene Sisters

The Magdalene Sisters is set in Ireland in 1964, where young women are sent to institutions run by the Sisters of Mercy on behalf of the Catholic Church. Margaret is taken from her family after being raped at a wedding; Bernadette is transferred from an orphanage because her looks and temperament are judged to be a problem; Rose is separated from her newborn son because she is unmarried. Inside the convent, Sister Bridget explains that prayer and laundry work will atone for their sins, and the inmates face hard labour, hunger, beatings and humiliation, with no clear prospect of ever leaving.

Peter Mullan wrote and directed the film, following his earlier feature Orphans. Anne-Marie Duff, Nora-Jane Noone and Dorothy Duffy play Margaret, Bernadette and Rose, with Geraldine McEwan as Sister Bridget and Eileen Walsh and Mary Murray among the supporting cast. The production was a British and Irish co-venture involving Element Pictures, Miramax, Screen Ireland and the UK Film Council, made for about 5 million dollars.

It was released in August 2002 and became a substantial art-house success, earning roughly 21 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.5 from 491 votes. Critics, whose score stands at 7.7 from 150 reviews, responded at least as warmly as audiences, making the film one of the better-received British and Irish dramas of its year.