FILM SCREENINGS

The Magdalene Sisters

2002. Ireland/Great Britain. Written and directed by Peter Mullan. With Geraldine McEwan, Anne-Marie Duff, Nora Jane Noone. Set during the 1960s, while the "outside world" was swinging, Mullan's film goes behind the walls of a Magdalene laundry, where four young women have been placed to atone for their sins. Convincing performances and an unsentimental script make for gripping drama and a chilling portrait of the Catholic church's once unquestioned power. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. 119 min.