Following my experience with Pat Murphy's 1981 film Maeve which blew me away, I decided to seek out more female-centric, feminist Northern Irish films directed by women. Unfortunately, it's a rather narrow field, but it is one blessed with another good movie in the shape of Silent Grace from 2001, which holds the remarkable record of being the only troubles-related film to have been written and directed by a Northern Irish woman.Maeve Murphy's film sheds light on the largely untold, unreported and overlooked story of republican women prisoners involvement in the 1980/81 Dirty Protest and the first Hunger Strike. It is loosely based on the life of Mairéad Farrell who was imprisoned at Armagh gaol in 1976 and became the first woman to demand prisoner-of-war status by refusing to wear prison uniform and the second person to do so after Kieran Nugent in Maze's H-Block. In 1980, Farrell instigated a dirty protest and, a year later, commenced a hunger strike alongside fellow prisoners Mary Doyle and Margaret Nugent to coincide with the protest of their male comrades at Long Kesh. There have been many films and documentaries focusing on republican hunger strikes (H3, Hunger and Bobby Sands: 66 Days to name the main ones), but they have always been told from the male perspective; Silent Grace puts women back into the narrative and doesn't shy away from the patriarchal bias within Irish republicanism. I'd argue that it's more interesting precisely because it is so little known and because, as attitudes at the time had it and indeed still do, it is women behaving in a 'non feminine' manner; refusing to slop out and smearing excrement and menstrual material on cell walls, whilst advocating and previously engaging in violent activism. In that respect, the title is somewhat ironic in terms of gender stereotype, but remains utterly truthful.The film tells the story of rebellious joyrider Aine (Cathleen Bradley) who following one fateful night finds herself incarcerated in Armagh. In a fit of pique and teenage bravado, Aine demands to be recognised as a republican rather than an 'ODC' (Ordinary Decent Criminal) and is sent to the Victorian bowels of the gaol to join the five republican women who are protesting against British PM Margaret Thatcher's (spit) refusal to grant IRA prisoners political status. The leader of the female inmates is Eileen (Orla Brady) a committed paramilitary 'OC' (officer commanding) whose boyfriend is also serving a prison sentence and who believes passionately in equal status within the IRA. Their relationship sees them butt heads initially but Eileen helps Aine keep her sanity as she navigates the minefields of prison life and slowly opens her up to the republican cause and encourages her to take part in the protest. When Eileen herself volunteers for the hunger strike, the strength of their friendship comes to the fore as Aine does all that she can to save her cellmate's life. There's some great debate in here about how women were perceived within the Troubles as a whole (when Eileen expresses her desire in joining the hunger strike she is immediately told by the army council, as represented by Patrick Bergin in a cameo role, to take a supportive role instead; "We’ll be back to making them tea and jumpers next." she protests, whilst her comrades state "They’re doing the dirty work, the least we can do is give them our respect and support", each determined not to be on the sidelines of history) that makes it significant as a film and as a dramatised chapter of Irish history, but I did have some issues with Silent Grace; primarily the fact that, thanks to the look and style of its actors, principally the prison governor (played by Conor Mullen) and his warders, it never really feel like a period piece. In its attempt to conjure up a sense of the late '70s and early '80s, the soundtrack plays The Clash's I Fought the Law...many, many times over. This is not a film blessed with a big budget, and if you look closely enough you'll see prison walls that shake enough to give Prisoner: Cell Block H a run for their money, but one cannot really fault the commitment of the film or its actors; Brady and Bradley are perfect in the lead roles, a chalk and cheese pairing whose eventual bond is utterly believable, whilst Dawn Bradfield and Cara Seymour provide incredibly strong support as their fellow inmates. There is even a surprisingly effective bit of stunt casting in the shape of '90s comedian Rob Newman as the prison chaplain and go-between of the female prisoners here and the male prisoners in Long Kesh/the Maze, Father McGarry. Looking overweight and grubby, Newman is a world away from the 'comedy is the new rock and roll' stadium sell-out stand-up from The Mary Whitehouse Experience and his double-act with David Baddiel, and I genuinely feel that it's a shame he hasn't attempted dramatic roles elsewhere. OK, his accent is a bit shaky, but fair play to him for taking such an unexpected role as his first step into acting.Despite being chosen as the UK entry for the Cannes Film Festival in 2002, being the Critics Choice in the London Metro and Dublin Hot Press, and being awarded the Soka Art Award in Japan, Silent Grace has somehow managed to become as overlooked as the role of women in the fight for a united Ireland. It has however earned something of a revival in recent years thanks to its Irish television premiere on TV3 in 2017 which gained great critical and commercial acclaim. It's still not enough though - only 7 other people have logged this on LB. It's on Amazon Prime to buy and it's dirt cheap.Number 22 in my 52 films by Women in 2019 challenge
