Summary: Set in The Irish Midlands in 1862, the story follows a young girl who stops eating but remains miraculously alive and well. English nurse Lib Wright is brought to a tiny village to observe eleven-year old Anna O'Donnell. Tourists and pilgrims mass to witness the girl who is said to have survived without food for months.
Watched: 1/7/2023
****Some spoilers in this review, but I will indicate where they are in advance for those of you who don't wish to read them! *****
Run time: 1 hour and 43 minutes
My rating: 6/10
Content warnings: sex, religious trauma, mentions of sexual abuse, starvation, self harm
Genre- historical mystery

My 6/10 score might be a little harsh, but bear with me here. It was a little slow paced and monotonous, which is the reason I took off some points. Of course, I wasn't expecting a fast paced action film when I turned this on. But I was hoping for just a little more intensity and urgency.

The tone of the film was also a lot darker than I expected. I'll touch more on this later.

Florence Pugh killed this role, just like I knew she would. She was the perfect choice for this. I really do think she is one of the best actors of this generation and I can't wait to see what she does in the future.

****everything ahead will include spoilers so if you wish to watch this movie I advise you to stop reading****

I knew the girl had to be eating somehow. This didn't seem like a paranormal thriller so it had to follow logic.

I did not at all expect she was eating because her mom was spitting food into her mouth! Poor Anna. I feel terrible for her. The abuse she suffered was too much for anyone to handle.

The sex scene between Lib and the journalist felt so off and random. There had been no chemistry between them that I could pick up. It felt very out of place. I docked some points for that as well.

I also didn't understand why Lib kept taking this mysterious liquid substance and getting high/drunk. I suspect it might be laudanum. It was very common in that time period to take the opioid for pain or to help sleep.

The finger pricking was very strange to me. That weird ritual Lib did every night before bed. I had to read up on that one. It could be interpreted as a form of self harm or as a way for Lib to remind herself that she is still alive.

Overall I enjoyed most of this movie. The end was shocking but I was happy Anna got away from her abusive family.