Irish Film Institute -International Film Directory – Film Listing

Hush-a-Bye-Baby

    • Director

      Margo Harkin

    • Credits

      Producer:
      Tom Collins.

      Writers:
      Margo Harkin,
      Stephanie English.

    • Principal Cast

      Emer McCourt,
      Michael Liebmann,
      Cathy Casey,
      Sinéad O'Connor,
      Julie Marie Reynolds.

  • Category

    Feature
    F-Rated

Margo Harkin’s feature debut takes a political stance in its depiction of the dilemma faced by a Derry teenager when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Set in 1984, against the backdrop of sustained violence in Northern Ireland and a failed referendum for the legalisation of abortion in the South, Hush-a-Bye-Baby presents Goretti (Emer McCourt), whose teenage liaison with Ciaran (Michael Liebmann) leaves her in difficulty when she finds herself pregnant and Ciaran is imprisoned. Unable to reach him through the prison walls and ashamed to reveal her pregnancy to anyone else, Goretti suffers physical and spiritual shame in silence. The film was pioneering in its consideration of teen pregnancy, sexuality and prevailing Catholic mores as Harkin successfully addressed real-world issues in this well-observed teen drama.

72 minutes, UK, 1990, Colour

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