Making a film in a language under pressure is laudable and deserves support, but it does not always lead to masterpieces. This also applies to The Quiet Girl.
“That could have been a little less,” I heard someone behind me murmur as I ordered a loaf of bread. He was at the bakery and behind me was Wim, a villager who, according to him once, reads my article every Saturday. That’s nice of Wim.
Since he told me that, he occasionally gives his opinion on what I write. Of course, this is allowed, but in the bakery it can sometimes be a bit uncomfortable. Not for Wim. I looked at him questioningly and he continued with the same sigh: ” The Jewish Council I think it’s a nice series. I enjoy watching it and so does Jannie.” Jannie is her neighbor with whom she has some sort of relationship. They eat with her three times a week and “the rest”, as Wim says, with him.
More explanation
Maybe my comments are over. The Jewish Council Too critical, I thought. At home I read it again and thought he had written it correctly. But perhaps a little more explanation is needed. I will try to do it from another fairly recent film.
The quiet girl by director Colm Balréad is a film that, like The Jewish Council , is widely praised. The film was even nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2023. The Irish film ended up in that category because it was shot entirely in Celtic.
That story, about the sad life of a girl, is timeless. Today, all over the world, including Europe, children grow up in atrocious conditions. And that can’t be said enough. That’s why only The quiet girl a film that had to be made. The argument that many movies have been made before about this kind of horrible stuff doesn’t hold up. As long as it exists, attention must be drawn to it.
But of course, that doesn’t mean it’s a good movie. The subject may fascinate us or awaken us, but still. The question is always whether the story is told well. It may be historically accurate, the facts may be correct, but if the cinematic narrative is not good, it will still be a disappointing affair. And a cinematographic narrative is the combination of image, sound, editing, decoration, performances and, above all, the film script.
Bee The Jewish Council My criticism focused on the latter. In history, questions are left out and dilemmas are not described. Bee The quiet girl the story is good. But the film has a claim that is not fulfilled. The gameplay is poor and the actions don’t match the cinematic power. The film is unbalanced.
Language is actually the beginning of the problem. In Frisian films, you sometimes see that actors have to be caught in a small pond. Celtic is also not a language spoken by millions. Making a film in a language under pressure is laudable and deserves support, but it does not always lead to masterpieces. The quiet girl It’s part of that. Praising a film just because it comes from a small linguistic area is not nice, it’s an insult.
The Quiet Girl can be seen on Pathé-Thuis and Mubi