The Miracle Club: Review. By D Cherry.
Past demons take centre stage in this story set initially in Ireland in the late 1960s. Centred around a group of strong women (Laura Linney, Maggie Smith, Kathy Bates, Agnes O’Casey), who set off on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, it deals with challenging themes such as forgiveness, faith, lies and trauma. The emotion is the drama and it’s sensitively covered with grace and humour.
Chrissy,(Laura Linney), is a local who was banished by her mother to the USA forty years previously. She returns for her mother’s funeral, and all the old wounds of the past are opened up again.
The characters are endearing and well-portrayed. While slightly predictable, the story has you invested in what happens to these women and if and how they will work out their differences.
It’s a sentimental and nostalgic look back at the Irish culture of the time. The portrayal of the husbands left behind seems unrealistic. Presumably their role was to add to the humour of the film, rather than a sense of realism. The priest (Mark O’Halloran) is a strong and sensitive type who has some great one-liners conveying wisdom and kindness. He orchestrates the women being thrown together.
The film is directed by Irish film-maker Thaddeus O’Sullivan, and based on a story by Jimmy Smallhorne. If you like films that are more about people than action, you may well enjoy this and find yourself wondering if Chrissy can and indeed does forgive her mother.
We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.
Trending on BRWC:
Frankenstein: Review
Die My Love: The BRWC Review
Game – The BRWC Review
White Agbada: Short Film Review
