I totally agree. Brilliant brillant

Thanks for submitting it 😃

Thanks for sending in such a great question, and sorry about the spelling!

I agree that there should be more depictions of this time with a heavy focus on women. But it does have to be said that women and men both propagated the system, both everyday people and the nuns at the laundries. And countless children regardless of sex were also affected. This is a story of one of those children and how he was affected by the laundries. I remember reading that one real story of a boy adopted away to America without the mother's consent and how he and his mother both begged the church to get the records to find each other afterwards and were continuously denied. He died of AIDS and asked to be buried at the convent so that his mother could one day find his grave there. And eventually she did find him, allowed to his dead body at the convent where he was taken from her as a child. So I wouldn't go as far as saying this story is one that shouldn't be told. I do think it is a product of a male-dominated society, and a way to gather distance to the horrors of what happened, seeing them through the lense of one of the children grown up. Making it more palatable for the audiences may give it eyes that otherwise would disregard it. And in the end, he is helping his own mother and through that, himself. One can hope as well that people regardless of gender look at this story, see the trauma of religion it depicts, and essentially want to do better. And that with its (hopeful!) success more depictions will follow that will focus the eye on the stories of the women and how they were affected. (Like The Magdalene Sisters from 2002, also starring Eileen Walsh btw!)

I mean the book was written by a woman, so it feels different that she chose to write from a man's perspective. Vs a man writing from a man's perspective Claire Keegan her self said the theme of the story is someone who has been unwanted was shown kindness and can't help wanting to show the same kindness when he see others who are unwanted What you said is true, very much, but this particular story with the setting it has I think is fine coming from a male perspective because it's showing a man choosing to not shy away from a woman's issue We don't know if he "saves" her, I wouldn't say he did, I think if anything Bill condemned his family to being ostracized by the town at the end more than he saved the girl, but he did help her and show her the same kindness his mother was shown, because it was just right to do Bill certainly probably wasn't seen as heroic when he got home to his wife, but he stepped outside of society conventions to help one person The failure of society happens when we forget empathy and kindness, and the book is about remembering it

I think the point is that, at the time, decent men in Ireland did nothing. Men were responsible for those pregnancies but abdicated all responsibility. The novella/film depicts a man who couldn't save his mother but who would save his own wife or daughters or even a stranger in that situation. The story reminds men that they should've done something to help abused girls and that men should do something to protect and help women in society now.

The aim of this story isn't about a heroic man. Hell, that was never the purpose. It's about everyone's complicity in allowing these atrocities to happen, men and women both. It's about the hold the Catholic Church had back then. Bill was never shown as some kind of hero. It's simply a tale about one's moral obligation of showing kindness to a stranger, just the the way he and his mother were shown by Mrs. Wilson. . I love how the ending leaves it open on what happens afterwards. Will his family suffer for his decision to help this girl? Will it do any greater good or is it just one girl saved? And what is even the fate of this one girl, is she even better outside of the Laundry when the society sees her as a fallen woman? The main point isn't the laundries or this girl he saves, but to point out how those who look away make all the evils possible. Bill makes the decision to not to look away no matter the consequences, and that's exactly the point. It is possible for everyone of us when we see evil winning. No need for more story. Doing the right thing is right, and best in the big picture, no matter the consequences in one specific case.