Marion Bridge

I recently saw this film at it's premiere in Los Angeles. This was by far one of the best independent films that I have seen in a long time. The script was powerful and emotional without being too preachy. The acting was flawless including the performances by Molly Parker, Rebecca Jenkins and even the young Ellen Page.

The directing and cinematography was exceptional. This is a deep film involving the lives of 3 very interesting sisters and their bond that will never break. Go see this film!

Marion Bridge was one of 14 films nominated for the Tiger Awards of the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2003 and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this film win. I have deep respect for the actresses who play the three sisters Agnes, Theresa and Louise, especially for Molly Parker (Agnes aka Angie). Mother is dying in the remote village in Nova Scotia where the sisters spent their youth. Agnes, who has an alcohol problem (inherited from her mother, as it seems), returns from Toronto just to find nothing has really changed. There is the usual bickering with her sisters, the woman next door is as nosy as ever and the people getting drunk in the local bar seem to have never left the building. A notion of suspense is triggered as Agnes repeatedly parks the family car in front of a souvenir shop. There she sits and watches the young girl Joanie who lives there. As the drama slowly develops questions are answered and new questions launched, even after the plot is unveiled. I won't give it away here, but I can assure it is quite shocking. The three sisters are very well cast as is their mother. The father who lives with another woman is an old sod who doesn't seem to remember (or care) what has happened in the past. Marion Bridge ends with an optimistic scene which is as moving as the film as a whole. A noteworthy achievement by young director Wiebke von Carolsfeld.

Everything about Marion Bridge is subtle and beautiful. The script is spot-on about three sisters and I found myself enjoying how well the ensemble cast worked together. Unlike hollywood films, where the theme is usually beaten over your head, the movie speaks volumes in its silences and expressions. Molly Parker also proves that she can be a strong leading actress. I am excited about seeing her again.

Agnes (Molly Parker) has come home to Sydney, Nova Scotia to see her hospitalized mother (Marguerite McNeil). She moves in with her sisters Theresa (Rebecca Jenkins) and Louise (Stacy Smith) who are still living at home. She is 65 days sober, but their mother never quit. They move their mother home. The women grate on each other. Agnes starts to stalk Joanie (Ellen Page) who is connected to her past somehow.

The movie is a low-key affair. The energy, the direction is a slow burn. The great actresses hint at a deeper story, and it's revealed slowly. Molly Parker and Rebecca Jenkins are especially terrific as sisters with unresolved issues. Marguerite McNeil is memorable as the alcoholic mother. The family secrets rattle around their relationships unspoken and untouched. It's a fascinating little movie.

Daniel McIvor (THE FIVE SENSES; BEEFCAKE) has written an extraordinary family drama involving three sisters trying to deal with their dying mother and the shared secrets of their past. Surely a recipe for mawkish, formula family drama, MARION BRIDGE succeeds wonderfully thanks to McIvor's sharp, funny screenplay, strong performances by Parker, Jenkins, Smith and youngster Ellen Page, and an assured directorial hand by first-timer von Carolsfeld. BRIDGE is filled with laugh-out-loud humor and powerful emotion as Parker's middle sister Agnes returns to her rural, Cape Breton hometown after living wild in Toronto. Her two sister Theresa and Louise view her return skeptically, but Agnes insists she's given up the booze and drugs she once played heavily with, and takes charge of their mother's care. Yet as in any family drama, those secrets preferred left undiscussed rear their ugly head. The sweeping Nova Scotia landscape echoes the arc of emotions of this troubled family dredged once more to the surface. A stand out film.