Genre: Drama/Historical
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Writer: Rosie JoLove
Based on the novel by Emma Donoghue
Cast: Brie Larson, Abby Ryder Fortson, Denis O'Hare, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Domhnall Gleeson, Molly Parker, Stephen Moyer, Jonathan Pryce, Peter Capaldi
Plot: 1859. After her long journey to Ireland from England, Lib (Brie Larson) meets a driver at the train station in Athlone and taken to the small village. Her experience in private nursing’s led her to assume that she’ll be staying with her employers, but she’s surprised to learn that she’ll be staying in town. Never having been to Ireland before and having very little knowledge of either the culture, Lib is quick to assume that she’s come to a near-savage place. As she eats her supper at the local pub, Dr. McBrearty (Denis O'Hare) arrives for introductions. Dr. McBrearty tells her that she and Sister Michael (Maria Doyle Kennedy), a Roman Catholic nun, have been hired to watch over a seemingly healthy 11-year-old girl, Anna (Abby Ryder Fortson), who hasn’t eaten or drunk anything except water for four months.
On the way to the O’Donnells’ house with Sister Michael and Mr. Thaddeus (Jonathan Pryce), the village priest, the next morning, Lib asks him about the role that fasting plays in Catholicism. He assures her that fasting shouldn’t be taken to extremes and can be used as means of expiating the sins of oneself or others. Contrary to Lib's assumptions, the O’Donnells aren’t well off. Visitors leave and put a coin in the box for the poor. Lib’s more than ever convinced that this “miracle” is no more than an attempt to make money.
While Mrs. O’Donnell (Molly Parker) is talking to the visitors, Lib looks at the daguerreotype on the mantel. The whole family is depicted: Mr. O'Donnell (Stephen Moyer) and Mrs. O’Donnell, Anna, and their son Pat, who had “gone over” the year before. Suspicious of Anna and convinced that Mrs. O'Donnell must somehow be behind this "hoax", Lib spends her first shift with Anna noting down her physical characteristics and measurements. Lib, wanting to test Anna’s stamina, takes her out for a walk. Once again Lib’s amazed at what she interprets as the backwardness and superstition of the Irish, although Anna finds their superstitions comical. When Anna gets ready for bed, Lib notices that Anna’s losing her hair.
Lib arrives at the O’Donnells’ house the next morning, she’s offended Sister Michael leaves without reporting any facts that she believes to be important except Anna has spent a peaceful night. Mr. O’Donnell comes in and detains Lib for a minute, during which time his wife goes into Anna’s room. Lib’s worried Mrs. O’Donnell could’ve quickly snuck some food in to her daughter. She quickly establishes a rule by which no physical contact can take place without her or Sister Michael being present. Mrs. O’Donnell angrily leaves the room.
On this second day, Lib learns more about Anna. A very devout and pious child, she prays many times a day. They go out for another walk and Lib teaches Anna some riddles. Anna quickly guesses the answers and Lib tells her that she should go back to school. Anna says that she’s happy at home.
In the afternoon, Lib goes to see Dr. McBrearty. Although she’s frustrated to find that he’s unwilling to acknowledge her medical concerns. She’s embarrassed to discover that Sister Michael, whom she’d assumed to be inexperienced and ignorant, is a more experienced nurse than herself.
She switches tasks and complains instead about the unscientific conditions at the O’Donnells’ house and asks Dr. McBrearty to write a note supporting her decision to ban all visitors to Anna. He tells her about an article he’s read about fasting girls in other places, in which there’s speculation that these girls may somehow be reabsorbing bloodshed during their menstrual cycles. Lib’s appalled he could take such an idea seriously and she leaves.
When Lib gets back to the pub for dinner, she meets William Byrne (Domhnall Gleeson), a journalist who’s been sent to write a profile of Anna. He’s been refused access to Anna and is frustrated, although he is unaware of Lib’s role in the situation. After dinner, Lib returns to the O’Donnell’s. While Anna sleeps, Lib spends much of the night speculating about ways in which Anna could be receiving food. Although Anna doesn’t seem concerned about making money or her growing notoriety, Lib suspects that her parents are. She takes advantage of Anna being asleep to search her belongings, but finds nothing.
Thinking it over, Lib’s even more convinced that Anna must be getting food somehow, although she’s increasingly frustrated by her own inability to catch her at it. She realizes that if Anna’s been somehow receiving food that Sister Michael’s and her own vigilance may’ve stopped it. If so, then Anna will truly be suffering.
While she’s with Anna, Dr. Standish (Peter Capaldi), an extremely arrogant British doctor who’s been asked to examine Anna, arrives. During his examination, he treats both Anna and Lib with contempt, coming to the conclusion that Anna’s a hysteric. He suggests that Anna be force fed. Rattled, Lib doesn’t get to speak to Sister Michael at the end of her shift and she’s further discomfited to find William waiting for her at the pub. He’s learned who she is and begins to question her about Anna.
During their conversation, he brings up the same idea that she’s begun to fear—that, if Anna’s somehow been getting food before the watch began, their vigilance stopped it. If so, now she’ll be truly starving. As Lib’s about to go to sleep, it occurs to her, that Anna may not be lying, that she really believes that she’s surviving entirely without earthly food. If she’s as sincere as she appears to be, Lib realizes that Anna desperately needs her help.
When Lib arrives at the O’Donnells’ house, Anna’s still sleeping. When Anna wakes up, she and Lib go out for a walk. While they’re out, they meet Dr. McBrearty, who’s solicitous for Anna’s welfare. When they’ve almost reached home, they run into a flock of potential visitors, who believe that Anna has the power to heal them. Lib interposes herself between them and manages to get her inside the house.
While Anna warms herself by the fire, Lib looks at the original photograph of the family, placed next to the new one from the other day. During the conversation, she learns that Pat has died, as “gone over” is a euphemism for having died rather than a reference to emigration, as she had thought earlier. The reason that he looks strange in the photograph is that the image was made after he’d died and that, since his eyes were closed, eyes had been painted on the closed lids.
Her parents tell her about Pat’s death and that Anna had been placed in the bed with him to warm him up just before he died. She’s annoyed at the O’Donnells for not taking Anna’s feelings into consideration. When they’re back in the bedroom, Anna tells Lib that she’s afraid that Pat’s suffering because he died before he’d been absolved of his sins. Lib tries to reassure her, but her logic is helpless before the emotion of Anna’s religious fervor.
Later, back at the pub, Lib meets William again. Byrne speculates that the truth is that Anna’s situation is a money-maker for the church and that Mr. Thaddeus is the true mastermind.
When Lib arrives for her shift, she and Sister Michael have a minute to talk, but Lib feels uncomfortable telling Sister Michael about her speculations. She thinks that Anna’s inordinately concerned about Pat’s posthumous welfare, but Sister Michael points out that Anna’s mind is outside their purview. Watching Anna sleep, Lib realizes that William seems to know enough to make enquiries about her and she wonders why. She also looks through Anna’s belongings again, this time to see what she reads, and discovers several religious texts. Reading them in the context of her concerns about Anna’s mind, she finds them very troubling.
That night, Lib is troubled by disturbing dreams, and when she arrives in the morning she’s surprised to see Anna refuse her mother’s hug and kiss. Mrs. O’Donnell glares at Lib, believing that Anna’s refusal is her fault. When she leaves the O’Donnells’ house, Lib goes to the cemetery to see Pat’s grave. She’s surprised to discover that it’s a new cemetery. There are many children’s graves there, children who’re victims of the Famine. She assumes a mass grave before finally finding Pat’s. Seeing Pat’s grave encourages her to speculate about Mrs. O’Donnell, realizing the fact that the O’Donnells only had two children means Mrs. O’Donnell had several miscarriages and/or stillbirths. These thoughts make Lib wonder whether Mrs. O’Donnell expect her remaining child to be almost saint-like, as if being merely human was no longer acceptable.
As she’s heading back she runs into William, who’s out for a ride. Their conversation is more personal, and he explains what he sees the British role in the Famine to have been. Religion comes up and he, a Catholic, admits that he’s still a believer, in spite of the horrors he’s seen, and she tells him that what she saw at Scutari during the War has convinced her only what can be seen and concretely proven has validity. He asks her to allow him to see Anna and she takes offense, believing that what she thought was a personal conversation, was in fact only a means to an end. She leaves him without a word.
Lib learns that the last food Anna’s eaten was at her First Communion from Mr. O’Donnell’s sitting by the fire. Lib wonders whether he’d be involved in feeding Anna or allowing the hoax to continue.
When she returns to the O’Donnells’ house, Sister Michael tells her that Anna’s unhappy because she wasn’t allowed to go to Mass. However, Sister Michael recited the litany for the day with her and that made her feel somewhat better.
Lib takes Anna out for a walk and Anna tells her about the “rag tree,” near a small pond. People dip the rags in the water, rub them on wounds, and then tie the rags to the tree, believing that the badness will stay there and rot. Once the rag rots, the ailment or illness goes away too.
Lib realizes that it’s only been a week since she arrived. Desperately wanting his opinion about Anna, she decides to leave William a note under his door telling him that she and Anna will meet.
When Anna wakes up, she’s even happier than usual because today’s the Feast of Our Lady’s Assumption, the day that the Virgin Mary ascended into Heaven. Anna’s family comes into the room to tell her they’re going to church to make the customary offerings. Lib wonders whether their seemingly carefree attitude means that they’re completely callous towards Anna’s situation or whether they’re truly innocent.
At ten o’clock, she and Anna go for a walk and meet William. Anna asks whether he’s a visitor and Lib says no, he is just out seeing the sights. Lib’s embarrassed because Anna asks him personal questions but Byrne doesn’t mind. Anna and Byrne discuss flowers and Lib thinks that he’s getting a much more nuanced impression of Anna than what he’d gotten from her. He mentions to Anna that he’s been thinking of emigrating elsewhere. Lib asks whether he doesn’t think that emigration and the severing of all ties that comes with it isn’t similar to death and he agrees, calling it the price of a new life.
Finally admitting that she’s a bit tired, Anna rests on a rock while Lib and Byrne walk a little way off. Lib asks Byrne what he thinks of Anna and is surprised when Byrne informs her that she’s dying of starvation. Lib points out that physically Anna doesn’t look it, but Byrne tells her that he’s studied starving people, having reported on the Irish Famine. He tells Lib that she’s too close to see it. It’s obvious especially in her breath, which smells like vinegar, the result of the body turning in on itself. Looking back at Anna, Lib sees that Anna has fainted, although she says she’s only resting. Byrne carries her home and Lib tells him to leave. When he’s gone, she smells Anna’s breathe.
When she wakes up the next morning, Lib finds a draft of Byrne’s article under her door. In it, he lists details about Anna’s physical state and says unequivocally that Anna’s starving, that reports of her continuing good health are all lies. Reading it, Lib realizes not only that he’s correct, but that she’s almost willfully ignored the fact everything she’s written in her notes points to the same conclusion. Even more painful for her is the realization that the truth is exactly what she feared: that, in spite of Sister Michael’s and her very strict vigilance, Anna’s now truly starving.
When Lib arrives for her shift, she has no opportunity to tell Sister Michael about her new understanding, although now as she looks at Anna she’s amazed that no one else seems to see it. Mrs. O’Donnell comes to say good night, but Anna won’t hug or kiss her. Mrs. O’Donnell’s angry, not only at being denied by Anna, but she’s angry at Lib because she’s seen it.
After the Rosary, Sister Michael returns to the bedroom to explain about the story she had been telling Anna. Sister Michael explains to Lib that the theme of the story was the danger of keeping dangerous secrets, of what can happen if they are not shared. Lib realizes that she’s completely misinterpreted Sister Michael and that in her own way, may have seen Anna more clearly. Lib tells her that the two of them must help Anna. Sister Michael says that the two of them don’t know anything definitively and leaves. When Sister Michael comes back for her shift, Lib tells her that it is time to stop the watch that they must tell Dr. McBrearty that Anna’s dying.
When Lib goes to Dr. McBrearty’s house, she tells him that Anna’s dying, that they must end the watch. Lib’s frustrated that Dr. McBrearty still refuses to understand the physical evidence in front of him, preferring to look to history and the lives of saints for an explanation. He truly wants to believe that Anna’s continuing survival is some sort of sign from God. Not having succeeded in having the watch called off, Lib leaves.
When she returns to Anna, she finds her in bed. Sister Michael explains that Anna needed a nap after their walk around the yard. It’s becoming clearer and clearer that Anna’s dying. she’s lost an adult molar and her vision’s deteriorating. Dr. McBrearty comes to see Anna and will not acknowledge that anything’s changed. He thinks she’ll be better by the end of the week. Lib asks him again to stop the watch and he tells her that the committee must decide unanimously.
When she gets back to the pub that night, Lib tells Byrne that he’s right. Talking with him, she realizes that, regardless of the parameters of her job, she must try and persuade Anna to eat.
At the O’Donnells’ in the morning, Lib’s amazed to see that Anna’s parents seem oblivious to her worsening condition. While she’s alone with Anna, Lib shows her Biblical passages that instruct people to eat. While she and Anna are talking, Mrs. O’Donnell summons Lib to the kitchen. She’s seen Byrne’s article. Lib accuses her of being blind to Anna’s plight, but she cries that she fed Anna for as long as Anna would let her. She seems truly distressed and Lib’s surprised to find that she feels sorry for her.
Using a wheelchair, Lib takes Anna out for a walk. They meet Byrne and bring him up to date. He tells her that he’s found out more about religious events which took place in the village just before Anna stopped eating. He also tells her about the building of the Famine roads, roads that go nowhere built during the Famine, that they were a means to make work for starving people. As an Englishwoman, she feels guilty about her nation’s role in the Famine.
Lib tries to take a nap, but finds that she can’t sleep. When she’s with Anna that night, she wonders whether Anna’s refusal to eat might be the result of her thoughts being confused by hunger. Lib considers what might happen if she tube-fed her, that being force fed might allow Anna’s mind to once again work normally. She realizes, though, psychologically it’d be a mistake.
Thinking over what Anna’s said to her, Lib suddenly understands how Anna had been fed, what Anna called “manna from heaven” was food transferred from Mrs. Donnell’s mouth to Anna’s of kisses and hugs. Now that Anna’s refused all physical contact with her mother, she’s no longer getting any food at all. Waking Anna, she asks her and Anna’s answer confirms that Lib’s correct. Lib reiterates that, if she doesn’t eat, she’ll die. Anna simply nods her head.
William finds Lib while she is eating her lunch at the pub and she brings him up to date on Anna’s condition. She also tells him how Anna has been being fed and asks him not to publish. He argues that perhaps the publicity would encourage Anna to eat, but Lib disagrees, explaining that Anna's decision not to eat has a religious motive. Byrne tells her that Dr. McBrearty has convened a meeting of the committee tonight and says that she and Sister Michael should report their findings, even though the nurses hadn’t been invited.
When Lib arrives at the O’Donnells’ house, she finds that Anna’s condition has deteriorated. Sister Michael isn’t convinced that they should go to the meeting without having been asked by Dr. McBrearty. She points out that the watch only has three days to go before they’re supposed to report their findings anyway, but Lib tells her that Anna may die before that.
Anna’s too weak even to go out in the wheelchair. Lib tries to convince her to eat, but Anna refuses to consider it, even when Lib reminds her that, as a suicide, she would be buried outside consecrated ground. When Mr. O’Donnell comes in to see Anna, Lib asks him to intercede with Anna but he says that she’s already made up her mind that and she won’t listen to him.
When she arrives at the meeting, she is surprised to find Anna’s parents there. Although Dr. McBrearty has already reported his findings, Lib provides a detailed description of Anna’s physical state, setting off a quarrel among the committee members. As she is about to tell them how Anna’s been fed, Sister Michael arrives at the meeting with Anna in the wheelchair. Even though Anna’s condition is clearly dire, the committee chooses to allow the watch to continue.
Late night, Byrne knocks on Lib’s door. She tells him about the meeting and he tells her that she needs to act, that she is the only person that Anna might listen to. When she arrives for her shift in the morning, she begs Anna to eat and Anna refuses. Mr. Thaddeus arrives but Anna says she isn’t yet ready to make her final confession.
When Lib returns for her next shift, Sister Michael tells her that there’ll be a votive mass for Anna the next night. Anna is pleased, but she admits to Lib that she’s afraid of dying. Lib holds her hand until she falls asleep.
When Anna wakes up, in answer to Lib’s questions, she explains the sin she’s trying to expiate. Convinced that Anna’s family won’t help their daughter live, Lib tells Byrne that she wants to take Anna away, but only if Anna will go.
That afternoon when Lib arrives for her shift, she finds Anna receiving the Last Rites, although Sister Michael tells her that the Last Rites are also believed to have the power of restoring health. The family is looking forward to the Mass that night, and Lib suggests that Sister Michael go with them, which Mrs. O’Donnell enthusiastically supports.
That night, Lib tries one more time to get Mr. O’Donnell to intercede with Anna, but he refuses, saying that he’s promised her he never would. The O’Donnells leave for mass, and Lib begins to put her plan into action. She tells Anna that God’s given her a message that if she eats Pat’s sins will be forgiven. Anna believes her and, after saying grace, breaks her fast.
Lib takes Anna outside to where Byrne’s waiting. Lib promises to join them soon and the two of them leave and Lib returns to the cabin. She sets it on fire and hides in the bog, where Sister Michael finds her in the morning but says nothing. Because there’s no body, Anna’s declared dead in absentia. Lib is dismissed.
Lib, Byrne, and Anna have assumed new identities and are on their way to begin new lives in Australia.
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