The Woman In The Wall: Is A Good Thriller?

The Woman In The Wall (2023) depicts a heart-wrenching, scandalous tale. The real-life women adversely affected by the infamous Magdalene Laundries in Ireland form the core of this limited drama series.

These notorious laundries operated in Ireland between the 18th and 20th centuries. And there are far too many controversies around it. The Britannica website notes that the History of Magdalene Laundries is contentious.

Now that we have some background on these so-called laundries, let us get back to this show from the United Kingdom.

This Ireland-based “The Woman In The Wall” Series Narrates A Tragic Historical Tale

Series Review [Spoiler-Free]: “The Woman In The Wall” (2023, UK) English

The introduction

As mentioned above, “The Woman In The Wall” is a disturbing tale about the Magdalene Laundries of Ireland. What is more appalling is the historical fact that these laundries only closed down in 1996 in Ireland after operating for almost two centuries. As a result, there are more than a thousand victims.

In these so-called laundries, many girls and women were imprisoned, forced to carry out unpaid labour and subjected to severe psychological and physical maltreatment.

Synopsis

When Lorna Brady (Ruth Wilson), a survivor of one of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries, wakes to find a corpse in her house, she has no idea who the dead woman is or if she’s responsible for the apparent murder. She doubts herself because she has long suffered from extreme bouts of sleepwalking.

Poster

“In 20th-century Ireland, Magdalene laundries were integral to an extensive network of institutions operated by both the church and the state, which included mother-and-baby homes and industrial schools. These mother-and-baby homes provided shelter and work for unwed pregnant women until they gave birth. After delivery, the children were often boarded out to local farms and families, placed in industrial schools, or adopted, with many being sent to families beyond Ireland’s borders. By the 1950s, approximately one in every hundred individuals in Ireland was residing in such institutions.”

Britannica

Thrilling drama from the UK

In this “The Woman In The Wall” limited mini-series, Lorna Brady (Ruth Wilson) is a woman from the small, fictional Irish town of Kilkinure. One morning, Lorna finds the corpse of a dead lady in her house. But, rather shockingly, Lorna has no clue as to who the dead woman is. A part of her disturbed mind suspects that she might have killed the hidden woman in the wall. Then, the question arises, why does she think like that? Well, that’s because Lorna has long suffered from extreme bouts of sleepwalking. Maybe her personal history has something to do with it.

In the past, at the young age of 15, Lorna was incarcerated in a convent, the infamous Magdalene Laundries. There, Lorna gave birth to her daughter Agnes, who was cruelly taken from her and whose fate she had never known. Ever since that tragic incident, Lorna was hurt very badly and emotionally damaged.

Thus, this series recounts Lorna’s dramatic life story.

Positive aspects

The Woman In The Wall is a well-written, thrilling drama, with lots of sadness and suspense surrounding Lorna’s mysterious behaviour. There are lots of secrets. Is Lorna a murderer? Or is she a victim?

On the other hand, this insightful drama peels off the layers of secrecy that surround the scandalous past of the Magdalene Laundries. But, then do its victims get justice?

Well, all those questions are fairly difficult ones. We do not live in a perfect world. And this is what this series tells us. Kudos to its creative team for raising the deeply disturbing yet pertinent issues in this show. Not only does its screenplay answer most of the questions realistically, but it also manages to keep us engaged in this shocking drama. Lest we forget, this show is inspired by the real-life scandal of Ireland. Ruth Wilson as the protagonist Lorna Brady (check her featured image above) is in excellent acting form again.

We remember reviewing her fascinating acting in the crime drama Luther series here.

It seems Ruth Wilson specialises in playing characters who are damaged a bit. And she excels in it. Her captivating acting keeps our interest alive in this slow-paced drama. And of course, other cast members of its ensemble cast do pitch in with credible performances too.

The conclusion

This good, thrilling drama series is not an easy watch because of the serious subject matter that it deals with. Besides, it sticks to the harsh ground realities of the Magdalene Laundries scandal. Therefore, the poor and weak people seldom get true justice in the real world. Sadly, this holds for all the victims of the Magdalene Laundries in the UK. And despite all of these, we liked the optimistic ending of this grim and painful series. The foreboding music and the dark cinematography add to the bleak and tragic ambience of this poignant storyline. Still, it is a difficult but informative show to watch.

Rating

Key Details

Trailer

Check out the YouTube video clip - The Woman in the Wall | Inside the Series | SHOWTIME.

Featured Image & Poster of The Woman In The Wall (2023) Limited Series | Pics. Credit: BBC & Showtime.