Colm Bairéad has given us a surprisingly unsentimental look at what shapes us as children in this Gaelic language exploration of a summer in the life of one neglected child.

Cáit (Catherine Clinch in her first role) is one of many children in a poor Irish family, with her mother expecting yet another baby. She and all her siblings fall quiet when their dad (Michael Patric) is in the room and it is clear that he is in some way an abuser. Cáit is quiet most of the time, unable to navigate home or school life with any kind of agency.

At the start of summer, her dad delivers her to the farm of a cousin, couple Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley) and Seán (Andrew Bennett), where she is to stay for the holidays to ease the burden on her family. Eibhlín is maternal in an uncomplicated way, helping her bathe, brush her hair, prepare food and collect water from the well. You get the sense that these are tasks that no one has ever helped Cáit accomplish and the quiet and unhurried encouragement sees her begin to flourish.

There are a few key moments – when Eibhlín tells her there are no secrets in their house because “where there are secrets, there is shame” we can see this is a pivotal difference between her home life and what she is now being offered. Seán is a taciturn presence, at first seeming like Cáit’s father but slowly forming a connection with her. He tells her that being quiet is fine, that many people waste the opportunity to say nothing and then suffer the consequences. Both Eibhlín and Seán give her time and attention and permission to be herself, such simple things.

There is a languid feeling to the story, as the camera lingers on reflections or the light through the trees and you get a sense of simple beauty that contrasts with Cáit’s dark and dingy home. There’s not a lot of dialogue with some scenes playing out without words – the biscuit on the table is a lovely example of this. I loved listening to Gaelic and the 70s feel of clothes, cars and interior design.

As the story drew towards its end, I wondered how it was going to be resolved. We want things to get better for Cáit, for her to stay where she is nourished rather than return to neglect. Bairéad does a good job of giving us enough without undermining the bittersweet reality.

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