The Cinematheque

Ireland

“Deeply humane … Lovely performances from Geraldine McAlinden, as an unsatisfied middle-aged lady, and Maya O’Shea, as the dogged older teenager she befriends.”

Donald Clarke, The Irish Times

Writer-director Patricia Kelly’s debut feature revolves around an unlikely friendship between two very different women. Recently retired and rather lonely, middle-aged Marian (Geraldine McAlinden) takes a temporary job as a census enumerator. While out collecting information, she meets a feisty teenager named Jewel (Maya O’Shea) who has been living as a sex worker after being abandoned by her mother. Gradually, they develop an unlikely bond, as both are outsiders in their different ways. With this unexpected ally at her side, Marian soon realizes she can forge a new and empowering future, maybe for both of them. Witty and endearing, Verdigris was winner of Best Independent Film at the 2023 Galway Film Fleadh.

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