Three young Irish women struggle to maintain their spirits while they endure dehumanizing abuse as inmates of a Magdalene Sisters Asylum.
Director:
Peter MullanWriter:
Peter Mullan
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Title: The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Geraldine McEwan | ... | Sister Bridget | |
| Anne-Marie Duff | ... | Margaret | |
| Nora-Jane Noone | ... | Bernadette | |
| Dorothy Duffy | ... | Rose / Patricia | |
| Eileen Walsh | ... | Crispina | |
| Mary Murray | ... | Una | |
| Britta Smith | ... | Katy | |
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Frances Healy | ... | Sister Jude |
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Eithne McGuinness | ... | Sister Clementine |
| Phyllis MacMahon | ... | Sister Augusta (as Phyllis McMahon) | |
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Rebecca Walsh | ... | Josephine |
| Eamonn Owens | ... | Eamonn | |
| Chris Patrick-Simpson | ... | Brendan (as Chris Simpson) | |
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Sean Colgan | ... | Seamus |
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Daniel Costello | ... | Father Fitzroy |
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
A thoroughly mind-provoking film about 3 young women who, under tragic circumstances, see themselves cast away to a Magdalene Asylum for young women in 1964. One of many like institutions, the asylums are run like prisons and young girls are forced to do workhouse laundry and hard labor. The asylum, one of many that existed in theocratic Catholic Ireland, is for supposedly 'fallen' women. Here, young girls are imprisoned indefinitely and endure agonizing punishments and a long, harsh working system which leaves them physically drained and mentally damaged. As the girls bond together, it soon becomes clear that the only way out of the Magdalene convent is to escape, but with twisted Sister Bridget running the wing, any chances seem limited... Written by Anonymous
Plot Keywords:
irish | ireland | unwed pregnancy | unwed mother | based on true story |Taglines:
In a place that defied belief their only hope was each other. See more »Genres:
DramaMotion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for violence/cruelty, nudity, sexual content and language | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Margaret: Well, what is it you're wanting to show me? Come on, Kevin, what's the secret?
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(uncredited)
Traditional Christmas carol
Sung off-screen by an unidentified man (possibly Ford Kiernan) with chorus
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The film was inspired by the documentary Sex in a Cold Climate (1998) produced and directed by Steve Humphries. See more »Goofs
When Margaret's brother shows up to take his sister home, he not only knows his way around the facility, but knows exactly which room everyone is in, despite having never set foot in the place. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Margaret: Well, what is it you're wanting to show me? Come on, Kevin, what's the secret?
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Crazy Credits
Special thanks to ... all at the Glasgow Film Office. See more »Soundtracks
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen(uncredited)
Traditional Christmas carol
Sung off-screen by an unidentified man (possibly Ford Kiernan) with chorus
See more »
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Details
Release Date:
29 August 2003 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Magdalene Sisters See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$84,553, 3 August 2003Gross USA:
$4,890,878Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$21,107,578Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
'The Magdalene Sisters' would be a preposterous story, were it not factual. The actual names and circumstances appear to have been changed for the screenplay, but the original 50-minute documentary, filmed likely in the mid 1990s, tells us that everything, and more, happened to these children, virtually imprisoned for such things as having a child out of wedlock, or being sexually assaulted, or simply happening to look pretty. With no way out, they were forced to work long hours for no pay, operating the Magdalene Sisters' commercial laundry business, the last one until 1996. As one character, the old nun, explains, a strong Ireland requires that its men remain strong, so we have to remove temptation. The critic Ebert has a complete review. The only relevant "extra" on the DVD is the documentary, which features old photos and film, plus remarkable interviews with ladies who had been in a Magdalene Sisters asylum in the 1940s through the 1960s, including the three ladies around whom the movie's three main characters were built. A very gripping movie, well-acted.