Haunted by her past, a nurse travels from England to a remote Irish village in 1862 to investigate a young girl's supposedly miraculous fast.
Florence Pugh
Lib Wright
Kíla Lord Cassidy
Anna O'Donnell
Tom Burke
Will Byrne
Niamh Algar
Kitty O’Donnell
Elaine Cassidy
Rosaleen O'Donnell
Ruth Bradley
Maggie Ryan
Toby Jones
Dr. McBrearty
Ciarán Hinds
Father Thaddeus
Dermot Crowley
Sir Otway
Caolan Byrne
Malachy O'Donnell
Brían F. O'Byrne
John Flynn
Josie Walker
Sister Michael
David Wilmot
Sean Ryan
Stephen Ball
Young Gentleman
Mary Murray
Woman
Niamh Finlay
Young Woman
John Burke
Man
Emer Casey
Woman in her 50's
Graeme Coughlan
Daguerreotypist
Abigail Coburn
Ryan Girl
Ava May Taylor
Village Girl
Janet Grene
Working Class Lady
David Maine
Man at Bar
Janet Grene
Working Class Woman (uncredited)
Director, Writer
Sebastián Lelio
Novel, Writer
Emma Donoghue
Writer
Alice Birch
November 11, 2022
7
Florence Pugh is English nurse "Mrs. Wright" who travels to Ireland to nurse a young girl who hasn't eaten in quite a while. Well at least that is what she thinks. Upon arrival, she discovers from the board that she and a nun (Josie Walker) are not to nurse at all, but to sit and watch what happens to this young girl "Anna" (Kíla Lord Cassidy). Is this all a fraud or is it divine intervention that is enabling this young woman to survive un-nourished but for the odd sip of water. Enter Tom Burke's rather sceptical journalist "Will", a local who moved to London but who still has more than his fair share of demons. Soon he and the nurse begin to bond, despite their initial difference of opinions about the whole thing and she knuckles down to discover just what is going on. Pugh is really effective here, delivering a characterisation that is considered and sympathetic but by no means gullible. The story is a slow burn, and to be honest I found the conclusion a little implausible and unsatisfactory but she and the young Cassidy carry this really well. The dialogue is sparing with some beautiful scenery that helps well to depict an Ireland still in the grip of anti-English sentiment and religious superstitions.