WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS CINEMA TRIP 100 OF 2024!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IM GONNA CRY.
Seriously i know this has been a mission & i know doing this has delayed a lot of review writing but damn it im so fucking proud & to complete it on November 2nd technically 3 films ahead of where i thought i would be in July, im so ahhhhh. Also its a Cillian Murphy film, whats not to love.

I went to Crawley to see this. Thought i would treat myself, got my free birthday popcorn with this & Sat in screen 10 going ooooh. I also did take a photo of the huge front of the cinema with the gladiator poster & the moving one inside (couldnt attempt to steal it though)

& i lowered the average age, quite a bit. Think the next youngest person in there was about 50. There was about 20 people max in the screening too.

Trailers, Gladiator, Conclave, & there was another indi film that i cant remember. But it wasnt something that grabbed me… yet

& then the film started…. Painfully beautiful & tragic.

I know i always want to hug Cillian Murphy, i get that because the man is adorable. But here, i wanted to really hug him for everything this film put him through. It was such a sad simple little story which just really touched the soul & if you dont want to hug him after this then you are dead inside.

Maybe dont watch this film after Heretic. That film had you questioning religion & this one had you sitting there going urgh to parts of religion & how people feel due to their religion they can control people. Especially back in the 80s in a catholic small town in Ireland. Its very scary as to what they could get away with for sure. Not nice at all to watch. Religion really does have a lot to answer for.

I loved the whole 80s vibe of it all though. I always claim im an 80s baby which i am (by 2 months & a couple of hours) but some of this stuff appeared early 90s & i recognised a lot of things that would have happened in my house or picture similar to ones in family albums that we had.

What child learns to play the accordion? Seriously?!

The flash backs were really well done & the kid playing young Cillian was so good. It broke my heart. They were well paced as well for the film. It was used to tell the story.

The methodical hand washing every day, you couldnt take your eyes off it & how that was his time to think & how the weight of the world before he realised some stuff was already on his shoulders a little to care for his wife & kids.

I am glad we have changed as people & dont judge like that any more. Yes there are some places that are still as bad as this, but there should be conversations that this happens to no one ever. I mean the whole point that i was deemed for good, & basically became blackmailing in the end was horrible. There was a point he was talking to one of his older daughters about if she felt safe & to tell him if she didnt, that was so powerful & was needed.

The way it ended & how it was just went silent to prove that things were on the verge of change & taking a stand, with just one simple act, it was wonderful.

Can we count this as christmas viewing? I think we can? I mean we are talking in like serious film categories & not like elf or the muppets.

Its worth knowing this is about Catholics & now out dated opinions from the 80s but other than that go in as blind as you can. Its powerful & strong & is very much a conversation that in some places still needs to happen today unfortunately.