Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Karlee The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

mshavzin I can't help believing that every time they make a story based on these four recollections of these four girls in Ireland it gets even more exaggerated. I am sure that it was rough and everything, but admittedly the vast number of girls that went into the Magdalene system made it out alive, and every single one of those young women were sent there by their families, so they probably weren't exactly great daughters at the very least. I just think the whole exaggeration of their suffering is getting old.

SnoopyStyle It's 1964 Ireland. Margaret McGuire is raped by her cousin during a family wedding. She's the one packed up and sent away. Bernadette Harvey is a flirtatious orphan. Rose Dunne is an unwed mother pushed to give up her child. Crispina is mentally challenged. They and the other girls all end up in a Magdalene Asylum for young women run by Catholic nuns. They do laundry earning money for the order without getting paid themselves. It is a brutal place where the girls suffer for their sins.It's a powerful indictment of this medieval system. The girls have a heart breaking story. Crispina is the saddest of them all. Nora-Jane No one is amazing in her acting debut. The story is told simply by Peter Mullan who is usually an actor.

s_ridenhour I agree with the previous reviewer that said if you can't handle a "mind- blank" then don't watch this. All of the character stories hit on every "biggest fear" you could have. All of the stories are HEARTBREAKING. Having been brought up Catholic this is, by far and away, the most disturbing and heartbreaking film I have EVER seen. I literally cried all the way through it. I don't care how many shiny new Popes this church comes up with,this (and the other abuse of it's members/member's children) STILL HAPPENED. This is a very, very well made movie; however, it is NOT easy to watch and will stick with you a LONG time.

thinker1691 Throughout the nineteen fifties and sixties, there were hundreds of institutions throughout America, England and Ireland which indicated centers dedicated to the Christian God. A significant number of these places were later revealed to have been of sanctuaries of corruption and pain. This movie selects one called " The Magdalene Sisters. " Although set in Irland, there are hundreds throughout the world which were run the same way and by the same religious orders. The story originates with writer/Director Peter Mullan who was inspired by a true incident which took place in such an establishment. Four Irish girls are sent to the isolated asylum run by the Magdalene sisters. There they undergo such brutal treatment, ridicule and torturous punishment as a means to curb their unsocial behavior, such as 'looking too pretty.' There is Margaret (Anne Duff) Crispina (Eileen Walsh) Rose (Dorothy Duffy) and Bernaddette (Nora-Jane Noon). All the young girls are constantly mistreated like hapless slaves as they are systematically dehumanized, forced to wash, clean, scrub floors, clothes and endure physical, mental and sexual anguish. Each day, they accept their suffering and silent plight, dreaming of eventual escape. Watching this movie is difficult, but having been exposed to the same brutality, believable in every respect. ****