[Lauchenoiria]

Film Title (English and/or Native): Mo Chubhrachain
Nominating Nation (If not from the IDU, please also list region): Glanainn
Nomination Category/Categories: Best Film, Best Musical Score
Language: Scottish Gaelic
Run Time: 127 minutes
Director: Ishbel Maxwell
Film Rating: 18
Producing Studio/Company: Dear Lady Film Company
 
Primary Cast:
Kirstie Jardine as Mairead
Shona Masson as Caitriona
Mairi McMillan as Eilidh
Kirsteen MacRae as Fae Woman
 
Brief Summary (No more than 2-3 medium paragraphs please):
Set in the early medieval period, Mo Chubhrachain follows the story of Mairead, a young mother in a mixed agricultural/hunting/gathering village, who spends her days gathering berries with her young baby Eilidh and her younger sister Caitriona. On one of these trips, Caitriona sees a beautiful, rare butterfly and chases it, running through gaps in the trees faster than Mairead, with a baby strapped to her, can run. In order to chase her sister, Mairead briefly places the baby Eilidh atop her blueberry-filled fruit basket, running after Caitriona and telling her off for sprinting off. When they return, the basket remains but the baby is gone. In Eilidh’s place is a stone with an unknown Celtic symbol. The sisters panic and search everywhere; then fetching the rest of their village to continue the hunt until the sun sets. There is no sign of the baby.
 
That night as Mairead sleeps, she is visited in a vision by a mysterious elven woman who whispers in an ancient tongue, with the only phrase understandable being “follow the otter, alone”. The next day, Mairead sneaks out at dawn to the river, and indeed follows an otter, which leads her to another stone with a symbol. Upon picking up the stone, she has another vision, in which the elven woman tells her to “kill”. When she snaps out of it, she is covered in blood and is miles from her previous location. She panics, washing herself in the river and returning to her village saying she was searching the water for Eilidh. She continues to have these visions; waking in strange places covered in blood. The villagers believe she is trying to drown herself because of Eilidh’s disappearance, as she always returns soaked. They also talk of how many animal species, including otters, have vanished; how they are having to rely more on hunting and gathering as their small amount of crops are all failing suddenly, and adults in neighbouring villages are disappearing.
 
Mairead knows the elven woman is up to no good but feels compelled to follow nevertheless. After one vision, Mairead retains consciousness of her body, though cannot control it. She finds herself walking up a mountain path covered in mist, unable to stop even as her feet bleed from the rocks and her fingers freeze as she reaches the snowline. As she reaches the top of the mountain, she finds a basket containing a baby. She is freed from her spell, running forward to grab Eilidh and hold her tight. Eilidh cries, alive, and Mairead runs all the way back down the mountain with her baby. The film ends with Eilidh in her mother’s arms as Mairead falls asleep. Eilidh opens her eyes, to reveal an otherworldly red glint in them.
 
What makes this film special? Why was it nominated for this/these category/categories? (No more than 1-2 sentences per category nominated):
Mo Chubhrachain is nominated for Best Film due to its combination of evocative imagery and sound, which depicts the horror of losing one’s baby and no longer being in control of your own actions. International critics also noted that the film would appeal to both pro- and anti-Opthelian elements in Glanainn as it combines Glannish mythology with a pro-motherhood message (this analysis was not, however, published within Glanainn itself).
 
It is also nominated for Best Musical Score due to the use of music to add to the eeriness of the fae visions and evoke the various locations and times of day within the movie, to produce a multisensory viewing experience.
 
Any additional info (optional, short paragraph maximum):
Mo Chubhrachain translates loosely to “my fragrant little one”, a term of endearment for an infant. It is based on the Gaelic version of a folk song. You can listen to the (mostly) English version here, and view lyrics for both versions here - though given it is a folk song, versions vary. 
 
OOC: I learned this song when I was six in a traditional songs class, and I wonder why I had a nightmare issue as a child? There's a clip of me singing it myself as a small child, but it's on a VHS tape and those don't traditionally upload well to the internet without several intermediary medium transfers.