Cages

"Cages" is based on the eponymous Guy Vanderhaeghe short story about two brothers in the Cain and Abel tradition of contrast. The story is full of types of cages and this short film manages to give us glimpses of all of them( the miner shaft elevator cage, the jail cell cage, and the caged-in life of a small rural town). The father tries to convince both of his sons to finish high school to escape the various "cages". One son Billy is the "Faithful servant" while the other son Gene is the "Prodigal son". Any one who's read the short story will be pleased at the faithfulness of the video version although the two flashbacks(Family Day and the Dart incident) are put into the current plot. I've met the author Vanderhaeghe and some of the "fictional" characters of his story(Ed the Esterhazy pool room manager)and this may make the film more realistic to me but I feel that it's a good film for kids as it successfully illustrates common themes like "Stay in School" and "Blood is Thicker than Water." The short story and film are both apt works for High School curriculum.