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The Magdalene Sisters

Play trailer Poster for The Magdalene Sisters R Released Aug 15, 2003 1h 59m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 150 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In 1964, three teenage Irish girls are sent to a Magdalene asylum, an archaic home for "fallen women," though their crimes aren't criminal. Rose (Dorothy Duffy) is pregnant out of wedlock, Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone) has been caught flirting with a boy at school, and Margaret (Anne-Marie Duff) is sentenced for having been raped by a family member. There, the girls perform hard labor supervised by cruel nuns, led by the sneering Sister Bridget (Geraldine McEwan) -- and dream of escape.
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The Magdalene Sisters

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Critics Consensus

A typical women-in-prision film made untypical because it's based on real events.

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Critics Reviews

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Anthony Lane New Yorker You come away from the movie not just convinced but cowed. Nov 21, 2022 Full Review 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. Mar 11, 2008 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Grimly believable. Mar 11, 2008 Full Review Kat Halstead Common Sense Media The Magdalene Sisters is an intense watch, but one that allows its central characters a sense of hope and power, even amid the atrocities. Rated: 4/5 Dec 8, 2021 Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed A disturbing, heartbreaking and gripping portrait of religious paranoia manifested through violence. Apr 29, 2009 Full Review Philip French Observer (UK) The movie is an indictment of systems that perpetuate oppression and exploitation by making the administrators believe their every cruel act is justified and by compelling complicity in victims and bystanders. Mar 11, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Joanne G This is the hardest movie to watch but none more necessary. The actresses in this film are fantastic and are called upon to go to some dark places. It's a chilling film about cruelty. It focuses on the placement of young women into slavery supported by government and church who are raised to become the next generation of perpetrators. It broke my heart. Yet it's a part of history. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/14/23 Full Review Audience Member wow. Just...wow. really makes one question one's childhood. that Power Corrupts. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Michael M Probably the best movie depiction based on The Christian Nun Laundries back in the 60's. What's shocking about it is that it's actually true. More movies should be made about this! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/13/22 Full Review Audience Member An excellent film that is based some what on what happened in the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland. At times it's hard to watch as it makes you rage over what the women are put through but well worth watching. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review william k Excellent, harrowing depiction of the crimes depicted by the Church is a to-the point polemic, righteous, unflinching and often gut-wrenching. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Jason T A heart breaking film. Very well acted. The low budget kept me from giving it a 5 star film. But never the less a truly great movie Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/09/19 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Magdalene Sisters

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1964, three teenage Irish girls are sent to a Magdalene asylum, an archaic home for "fallen women," though their crimes aren't criminal. Rose (Dorothy Duffy) is pregnant out of wedlock, Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone) has been caught flirting with a boy at school, and Margaret (Anne-Marie Duff) is sentenced for having been raped by a family member. There, the girls perform hard labor supervised by cruel nuns, led by the sneering Sister Bridget (Geraldine McEwan) -- and dream of escape.
Director
Peter Mullan
Producer
Frances Higson
Screenwriter
Peter Mullan
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Film Council, Momentum Pictures, Scottish Screen
Rating
R (Language|Cruelty|Nudity|Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 15, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 14, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.9M
Runtime
1h 59m
Sound Mix
Surround
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