Deeply

A true story tale, woven as the tales of two curses are gradually untwined. In one story a modern girl lands on a Nova Scotia fishing island, bitter and grieving. Lynn Redgrave gives a lovely performance playing a crusty older lady telling this girl the other tale, about a girl her same age 50 years earlier on the same island. Two unknown actresses give deeply felt though not perfect performances as the two teenage girls.

The film is sometimes slow, sometimes awkward, and sometimes cliched, but the telling of the tales overrides the imperfections, and my husband and I were drawn into the telling, the gorgeous scenes of the island, and the mystery of the tales. We saw this on Dutch TV, which we get by satellite, and which shows many wonderful independent films that don't make the mainstream, but are so much better than the ordinary fare.

Decent enough film, but the accents distracted me too, Kirsten Dunst's most of all (yeah, it did sound kind of southern), though she did well in her physical mannerisms, which made up for it to some degree. Funny, not one of the Nova Scotian accents sounded right to me. I'm originally from there, though a mainlander. Made me wonder if I forgot how a Cape Breton accident sounds, or if they were tuning into some very local dialect I've never heard before (Pugwash maybe?). Half these people sounded Irish and the others I don't know what. Then I doubted myself noticing in the credits the job of Nova Scotia casting. But now that I look in the listing here it seems Nova Scotia casting involves hiring a bunch of people from Ontario. Hrmmph.

I think the movie was really good. It was a good romance movie. It had a sad ending but I think that makes a better ending than a fariy tale ending. It may not have been one of Kirsten Dunst"s is best movie, but not every movie can be the best. I liked the movie whether or not is was her best movie. I think if you like a little romance it would be a good movie for you.

I was touched by this moving film. Kirsten Dunst gives one of her best performances as a girl struggling to understand the world around her and the hidden secrets of her town. Relative newcomer Trent Ford shows promise in his pivotal role. A must see.

A young girl comes with her mother to her ancestral home on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia to escape the sudden death of her first love. She withdraws from the world around her until she crosses paths with an old hermit-like lady who tells her a tale of a great fishing village, an age-old viking curse and a lovelorn couple that faces Shakespearian tragedies. Parallels between her life and the tale open up her heart so she can mourn her love.Beautifully filmed this bittersweet lovestory is a bit of a tearjerker and ends a bit sourly. Good direction and heartfelt acting are abundant but the story is a bit of a downer. 8/10