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Anne-Marie Duff, Dorothy Duffy, Eileen Walsh, Nora-Jane Noone, Geraldine McEwan ... see more see more... , Mary Murray , Britta Smith , Frances Healy , Eithne McGuinness , Phyllis McMahon , Rebecca Walsh , Eamonn Owens , Chris Simpson , Sean Colgan , Daniel Costello , Julie Austin , Sean McDonagh , Phyllis MacMahon

One of the Catholic Church's most infamous institutions is the focus of this controversial independent feature from Scottish actor and erstwhile director Peter Mullan. Set in 1964, The Magdalene Siste... read more read more...rs hones in on the Magdalene convent, a place where purportedly wayward young women have been sent by their families for reform. Many of the girls are locked up in the institution for questionable "sins," and the movie presents several of them as case studies: Margaret (Anne-Marie Duff), who is sent away after being sexually assaulted by a cousin at a wedding; Rose (Dorothy Duffy) and Crispina (Eileen Walsh), who are both unwed mothers; and Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone), whose licentiousness has raised the ire of her former orphanage. It soon becomes clear that the reformatory is more of a manual-labor prison, however, as their girls are forced to work long hours and endure endless physical humiliation and abuse at the hands of the head nun, Sister Bridget (Geraldine McEwan). As their degradation at the hands of the convent's administrators increases, each girl plots her escape, but each finds that she's never far enough from the sisters' all-encompassing reach. The Magdalene Sisters premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it was awarded the festival's top prize, the Golden Lion; the Vatican officially condemned the film after its premiere. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

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87% liked it

12,452 ratings

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90% liked it

143 critics

R, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: Peter Mullan

Release Date: August 22, 2003

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DVD Release Date: March 23, 2004

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Flirting Movie Poster Dinner with the Nuns. Bernadette & Crispina/Harriet Anne-Marie Duff Bernadette & Crispina Eileen Walsh The Magdalene Sisters It's not a f*&@#ing chimney! Shame Bernadette & Crispina doing laundry. Crispina/Harriet Nun Eileen Walsh Eileen Walsh Bernadette Anne-Marie Duff "You're not a man of god."
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Flixster Reviews (911)

  • MrMarakai
    April 20, 2011
    MrMarakai
    Writer/Director Peter Mullan follows up his surreal and blackly humourous Scottish family drama "Orphans" with this hard-hitting account of the agonising and torturous true-story of the abuse of young women from Ireland in the name of religion.
    In 1960's, young women where incar... read morecerated in a Irish convent, run by the Catholic church, for committing such 'misdeeds' as flirting with boys, becoming pregnant out of wedlock, and being raped. They are physically and psychologically abused by the head nun and her sadistic staff, who are convinced they are doing the Lord's work.
    Having based his screenplay on actual Magdalene inmates' experiences, Mullan achieves an authenticity of what life was like for the young women that had to endure the injustices, humiliation and brutality of these asylums. At times it's very difficult to stomach, such is the sheer power and uncompromising telling of this harrowing story and it's full of overwhelmingly excellent performances. Geraldine McEwan as Sister Bridget, the head nun, gives one of the most absolute personifications of evil ever commited to the screen and Eileen Walsh is heart-breakingly compelling as the naive, downtrodden and religiously devoted Crispina. Her performance was worthy of so much more recognition than she recieved. Speaking of which, the entire cast and crew deserved more awards attention on it's release. Had this been directed by someone with a higher profile than Mullan and his crew, this film would have been hailed as a masterpiece. As it is, it's had to rely on word-of-mouth to find an audience but this doesn't lessen the effect or superb work by everyone involved here. Mullan's direction is flawless, the cinematography by Nigel Willoughby is stark, and almost de-saturated, adding to the overall feeling of desperation and loneliness of the women and as mentioned, the performances are perfectly pitched from a largely unknown cast. It may be hard for some to accept this behaviour went on but it's even harder to accept that these asylums lasted until 1996, when the last one was finally shut down.
    A harrowing and emotionally charged drama that while based on fact, is highly subversive. If the Vatican condemns a film on it's release (which it did with this) then there's no doubt that you're in for a hard-hitting film.
    Painful, provocative and important!
  • shauna1354
    November 5, 2010
    shauna1354
    A powerful and unflinching drama from Peter Mullan that will inevitably fascinate yet distress viewers. The film covers an interesting yet terrible period in history, its well directed, engrosses the viewers from start to finish, contains top performances from all the young cast ... read moreand a fierce portrayal from Geraldine McEwan.
    Essential viewing!
  • SirPant
    October 21, 2010
    SirPant
    Sorry, I've got to say it but American film posters are f**king awful! It's just another example of a long list of films that are marketed by idiots who know nothing about the product. Rant over. The Magdalene Sisters is a harrowing film, it's brilliant but at the same time you c... read moreouldn't really claim to have enjoyed watching it unless you're psychotic or 'a bit wrong in the head'. The hardest thing to really grasp is how this ever happened and that the last correctional facility actually only closed just over 10 years ago! I'm an atheist and have anti-religious tendencies, do I respect people religious people, If I'm honest not really, chances are that if you're very religious, we aren't going to get along - that said, there are many good holy people in the world, I was bought up a catholic and was an alter boy. Our priest was one of the kindest (and funniest) guys I've ever met and it often hurts and annoys me when priests are constantly portrayed as paedophiles/sexual predators. This however, is based on true events, I'm not denying it doesn't happen, it's just a little tiring and very unfair I feel. Second rant over. The Magdalene Sisters is an excellent film, I was so impressed by Peter Mullan's direction of his earlier film, Orphans, and this just cements my views that he is just as good behind the camera as he is in front of it (His cameo is short but powerful). Eileen Walsh's performance was stand out for me but the whole cast put in strong performances, never once falling short of being utterly compelling. Highly recommended. More please Mr. Mullan!
  • 76Majikat
    November 13, 2009
    76Majikat
    A brilliantly acted, very down to Earth story depicting realistic activities within the many of the asylums in Ireland during this era. Horrific circumstances that allows women to be treated as prisoners for shaming their families, whilst repenting their sins.

    The individual ... read morestories of each are tales within a tale and are a harsh reality reflected of the time, where pride is thicker than water!

    Hard hitting British Drama at it?s best.
  • flixsterman
    March 28, 2009
    flixsterman
    If you're like me you took one look at the movie poster (or DVD cover) and assumed that The Magdalene Sisters was a sexy Irish comedy or a romantic drama. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a film that's serious, tragic, and worst of all, true.

    For many ye... read morears the Catholic church of Ireland sanctioned 'asylums' for wayward girls called "Magdalene Laundries". They were, in fact, little more than sweat-shops that incarcerated women for such heinous criminal offenses as flirting with boys or 'allowing' themselves to be raped. This film is an indictment of those puritanical institutions that, surprisingly, were still active well into the 1990s.
  • arashxak
    February 20, 2008
    arashxak
    Sad & Shocking
  • newvogueravyn
    July 5, 2007
    newvogueravyn
    Originally I pegged this as not being interested, but I don't know why as I freely chose to watch it, even over something more 'my thing'. It was far better than I could have imagined, and all I can say is that I'm glad those places don't exist anymore.
  • Beefy
    May 13, 2007
    Beefy
    Ought to be required viewing. The film made me so mad I had to go jog a mile and a half to work it off. Tragic and difficult to watch but very important.
  • binky013
    October 9, 2006
    binky013
    Seen some not-so-appropriate cover art in my lifetime; this is a prime example. Not too much I can say after seeing something like this. Devastating. An amazingly outstanding cast. Highest of praise to Eileen Walsh as Crispina-Harriet and to Geraldine McEwan as Sister Bridget... read more, one of the most chilling villains in the history of film. Were any of the players in this nominated for an Academy Award? Freakin' unbelievable.

    Can anyone confirm, yay or nay, whether Cary Elwes does a cameo in this?
  • mrbungle7821
    February 27, 2006
    mrbungle7821
    [center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7830/photo041yi.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center]
    [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font]
    [font=Arial][color=darkred]There's a certain genre of films as well-defined as say, the Western, Film Noir, or ... read moreeven Romantic Comedies. The genre I?m speaking of is ?I-can't-believe-that-happened cinema.? This is a genre made up of little-known true stories where people with power abuse those below them. These include films like Rosewood, Rabbit Proof Fence, Matewan, Mississippi Burning, and just about every movie with a Holocaust setting. These films are intended to antagonize the audience and to get them to ask, ?How could something like this happen?? The Magdalene Sisters is a film that an audience will walk away with very much wondering how something so cruel, amoral, and heartless could carry on in our modern world.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]In 1960s Ireland, the Catholic Church was life. The Magdalene Sisters sheds light on the little known work asylums, which were institutions set up to help girls who had transgressed against God. The girls admitted to the asylum, a kind of extreme reform school, are there to work away their sins and reach forgiveness, thus saving their immortal souls. Rose (Dorothy Duffy) had a child out of wedlock. Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone) was caught by school officials for being too pretty and ?tempting? teen boys. But perhaps the most startling admission is Margaret (Anne-Marie Duff), admitted to the asylum by her own father for the grievous ?sin? of being raped by a cousin.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]The Magdalene Sisterhood asylum is run by Sister Bridget (Geraldine McEwan), an old nun who subscribes to the ?cruel to be kind? theory in spades. The girls at the asylum toil tirelessly in sweatshop conditions, are physically abused by the nuns, sexually abused by the asylum?s priest and are left hopeless of escaping. Girls who run away are turned back in by their parents or cooperative police. Some of the women at Magdalene have been there for their entire lives. It seems the only ways out are death or joining the convent. Get thee to a nunnery indeed.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]The Magdalene Sisters is full of sadistic moments that will shock an audience. One of the most disturbing scenes transpires late into the film. The girls of the asylum line up completely nude, shivering and crying. Two nuns, with a nauseating smugness, chortle and play a ?game? seeing who has the largest breasts and the smallest nipples, among other things. When the ?winner? of this sick experiment stands forward and clenches her teeth from crying so hard, one of the nuns asks, ?What are you crying for? It?s just a game.?[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]The young ladies at the film?s core deliver magnificent performances tinged with honest emotional devastation. Noone is the standout as Bernadette. She utilizes steely rebellious gazes that speak volumes about her character?s resourcefulness. Noone can convey more poignant emotion in the raising of an eyebrow or the biting of her thumb than Tara Reid and her armada of bottle-blonde starlets can ever hope to express.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]McEwan is terrifying as the head nun and head source of torment. Her grandmotherly voice, tinted with an Irish brogue, is enough to send shivers down your spine. She is surely 2003's greatest movie villain, next to Johnny Depp in Once Upon a Time in Mexico.[/color][/font]
    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Writer/director Peter Mullan keeps the suffering at an almost unbearable level, but allows the spark of human resistance to keep us going. His film is one brimming with anger and disbelief; ensuring the audience will experience that same burning anger before the credits roll. Mullan?s passionate story can be deemed one-sided, but then again, what exactly is the other side going to say about the abuse of innocent girls for life-long slave labor? Not much I suspect.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]The Magdalene Sisters is a somber, unflinching look at the abuses of the church as well as the upward battle for equality women faced. Ths film is tough to sit through. It might be too much for some, especially if they don't have a strong relationship with the Catholic church to begin with. The decades of abuse The Magdalene Sisters sheds light on is incredible, but it's also a beginning for healing. Before we can overcome atrocities we must acknowledge them, and this is something I'm sure Mullan is arguing that the Church is failing to do. In fact, the Catholic church has denounced The Magdalene Sisters for its portrayal of church abuses. Something tells me Mullan is not suprised.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Not only is The Magdalene Sisters an eye-opener, it's also great cinema. The characters, pacing, realistic sharp-eyed direction, and superb acting render it more than just a snuff film. This film is more than watching people mistreated and suffer; this is a film about perseverance and resolve. It's about the enduring human spirit. I'll gladly (well, not [i]gladly[/i]) watch sequences of misery in order to see human triumph. This isn't just a sad story, it's exceptionally well told and acted and it bathes you in the pain of its characters. You feel their heartbreak and tragedy, but you also feel their victory.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]The Magdalene Sisters is, without a doubt, the must-see feel-bad movie of this year. Now, there will be plenty out there saying, ?Why should I pay to see a movie that will make me feel bad?? This is my defense: because the movie is so good at having its fears, tortures, and ultimate triumphs resonate that it makes you authentically feel something. And isn?t this the purpose of art, to feel [i]something[/i]?[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]The Magdalene Sisters is unflinching, passionately powerful and unforgettable. Just one more item to get your blood boiling: the last of these Sisterhood work asylum closed in 1996.[/color][/font]

    [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: A[/color][/font]

View All The Magdalene Sisters Reviews

Critic Reviews

David Rooney
March 11, 2008
David Rooney, Variety

This drama about a shocking reality from recent history balances a light touch with searing intensity and a sense of moral outrage. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
March 11, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Grimly believable. Full Review

Joe Baltake
September 20, 2003
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Harsh and angry, this Oscar-worthy film stages a deliberately paced, thoroughly researched indictment of institutionalized cruelty and the kind of ignorance and hypocrisy that validates and encourages... Full Review

Jay Boyar
September 5, 2003
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

The Magdalene Sisters has the force of an alarm being sounded.

Stanley Kauffmann
September 3, 2003
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

Why was this film made after the homes had already been abolished? One reason, hardly trifling, is that it was made excellently. Thematically, however, it stings.

Kathy Cano Murillo
August 28, 2003
Kathy Cano Murillo, Arizona Republic

Will make you furious and dejected, but in the end it offers an optimistic if unsettling twist.

Tom Long
August 22, 2003
Tom Long, Detroit News

It is a strong, affecting movie about man's ability to twist holiness into horror.

Terry Lawson
August 22, 2003
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

A story like this one could easily succumb to outraged melodrama, but not only does Mullan keep the drama human-sized, he even leavens it with the humor that one can easily believe had to be summoned ... Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
August 22, 2003
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Full of forceful, aching performances. Full Review

Jeff Strickler
August 21, 2003
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Although it's heavy-handed in its emotional button-pushing, The Magdalene Sisters still manages to produce all the reactions the filmmakers want: repulsion, indignation, anger and outrage. Full Review

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  • On Christmas Day, the women at Magdalene Laundry got to watch a movie, what was the name of that movie. Hint - The name of the movie here is The Magdalene Sisters.  Answer »
  • Whixch film was the winner of the Golden Lion at the 2002 Venice Film festival?  Answer »
  • Who directed the film "The MAgdalene Sisters"?  Answer »
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