My first reaction was "shocking", especially since I am Catholic (and a product of parochial schools in the US) and of Irish background. That this sort of Dickensian hardship, overlaid with monumental amounts of guilt and damnation, could be heaped on these young women is the kind of injustice that ranks right behind slavery and the Holocaust. And it happened within my life-time, since the last one only closed in 1996. The fact that people throughout Ireland knew about this and said nothing just compounds the horror.

I recommend the movie, which opens in limited release at the beginning of August, but be warned that it is rated "R", so adults might want to see it first, to decide whether older teens should see it. I think they should, since the characters are about their age, but they should have parental discussions about it, too.

I hope the blue-clicy works:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/TheMagdaleneSisters-10001937/