#themiracleclub — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

#TheMiracleClub headlines a trio of seasoned actors (Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates, Laura Linney) and is now available for rent online (australia) (i think it’s still in cinemas)

synopsis;
“The Miracle Club is a heartwarming film that follows the story of close friends Lily, Eileen, and Dolly from Ballyfermot, a hard-knock community in Dublin, Ireland. When the opportunity arises for the women to win a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, they jump at the chance. With their priest’s help, the women win the trip and embark on a journey that will change their lives.”
—
It is set in 1967 Ireland, but in a very early scene we see a mention of something that happened in 1927 (40 years before).

Don’t know if it’s just me, but i when i think of ireland i automatically think of Sinéad O’Connor’s comment that ireland is an abused child. This movie might not tell us everything we deserve to know about ireland (what i really know about ireland is 3/5ths of bugger all) but it is built around an idea that probably resonates with irish diaspora catholics anywhere: It was the disproportionate influence of the church that made ireland, for so long, abusive, and foully misogynistic. All women in ireland are thus members of a special club.

That said, the strength of the church is it fills/filled the very void it creates/created in millions of lives … and the churchy bits of stories like this leave me feeling nostalgic at the same time i feel angry and repulsed.

Without leaving spoilers here, i will say this:
One of the women in this story is a fair c*. There is a lot of judgement and cruel indifference.
But this movie is not “about” the church at a grand, systemic level, it’s a far more personal story of a handful of women, and it’s on balance a warm story.

https://youtu.be/Gp3ZFdklPCk

#watching #themiracleclub