In the 1960s, when Chrissie (Laura Linney) returns to Ballygar for her mother’s funeral after a contentious 40 year absence, she finds herself suddenly taking her mother’s place on a voyage to Lourdes. It is said that Lourdes is a place of healing and miracles, making the opportunity to travel there a big deal to the small community of Ballygar. Joining Chrissie on the voyage are her estranged friends Eileen (Kathy Bates), Lily (Maggie Smith), and Dolly (Agnes O’Casey). Their individual reasons for seeking cures in Lourdes include a mix of physical and emotional healing all the same.
For Dolly, her son won’t speak and she wishes to cure him. Lily lives with guilt over the past and has difficulty walking. Chrissie seeks peace from the memories of what made her leave Ballygar so long ago. And Eileen hopes to be healed of a lump on her breast that has concerned her. But when the facade of the miraculous land of Lourdes lifts, the women must face the fact that the true miracle of Lourdes is found within themselves.
The film balances lighthearted bits of comedy with its drama fairly well. The strength of the comedic elements lie almost entirely in the leads’ chemistry with each other in the less emotionally heavy scenes. There’s a natural rhythm to that chemistry that helps supplement the film when the comedy itself doesn’t quite land.
The Miracle Club‘s biggest strength is in the performances of the four leads. There’s a particularly strong scene wherein Chrissie opens up about something that happened to her in an effort to comfort Dolly, who’s in an emotional crisis. This scene has an added depth to it as it brings the fractured relationship between Eileen and Chrissie to the forefront as well. Since this level of emotional reckoning is few and far between in the film, this scene stands out as the juggernaut it’s meant to be.
Set in the 1960s, the film boasts a vibrant set design accentuated by strong period costuming. The setting also helps shape the characters’ histories well. In particular, as we learn more about Chrissie, the film’s period setting further exemplifies why her exile from the community 40 years previous carried so much emotional weight. It’s something that could have been explored more deeply, in fact, if the film had more time to allocate to it.
For such a brisk runtime, The Miracle Club does find itself a bit muddled in a couple superfluous scenes back in the village while the women are on their pilgrimage. As lighthearted and charming as it is to see one of the husbands struggle to keep the house in order, the scenes damage the pacing a little too much and don’t feel overly necessary for the narrative.
At only 90 minutes, the film is sure to not overstay its welcome. However, as a result of its lean runtime, The Miracle Club does a disservice to its characters by not fully exploring the emotional healing they’re hoping to gain from their pilgrimage. There is healing among the characters, but the briskness with which it comes prevents the film’s emotion beats from resonating as strongly as they should. This is especially an issue when you consider the emotional toll the characters’ personal experiences have on themselves and each other. There just could have been a lot more power in the storytelling for these characters that could have yielded multiple cathartic scenes of the caliber of the Chrissie and Dolly moment mentioned earlier.
Even though The Miracle Club‘s brisk pace is a hindrance to the emotional journey at the core of the film, it is still anchored by strong performances from its four leads. The beautiful locations and set design mix well with an understated score by Edmund Butt to give the film’s scenery and landmarks some gravitas. It’s just a shame there wasn’t more depth to the journey.
About the Writer: Matt Hurt is the creator of ObsessiveViewer.com. He also created, hosts, and produces 
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