Young Triffie's Been Made Away With

I had the pleasure of first seeing Young Triffie at the 2006 Vancouver International Film Festival... and then again on the Film Channel via satellite .

Set in Swyer's Harbour, Newfoundland in 1948, this comic tale is based on the play, Young Triffie's Been Made Away With by Ray Guy, who co-wrote the film's screenplay. The story begins when Andrew Hepditch, played by Fred Ewanuick, a young, officious, by-the-book Newfoundland Ranger, is dispatched by his Commanding Officer out to the isolated outport to investigate a common sheep-shagging/mutilation. Hepditch also finds himself face and eyes into the death of a young girl and way over his head in the mysterious workings of outport village life in Newfoundland. Mary Walsh (who also produced & directed) is brilliant as Millie Bishop, the post mistress, telephone operator, and the nosy village gossip. From beginning to end, the laughter never lets up in this comic murder mystery. The script is clever... listen carefully; there are some good bits throughout.

My only regret about this film is that it didn't seem to released to the theatres as was planned in the Spring of 2007. Good Canadian fare that should have a wider audience. I hope it will be released on DVD with plenty of extras. I will put it in my collection in a heartbeat.

At the film festival, the theatre was packed full. Everyone, as far as I could tell, liked it very much. On that basis, I find some of the reviews here, quite disappointing. One man's meat is another man's poison, I guess.

Young Triffie is darkly-themed, even for a black comedy. There is little graphic violence, but in addition to a girl's death prepare to stomach alcoholism, drug addiction, child abuse, madness and worse. Strangely, there is also a lot of humour. In that department Mary Walsh gives the film's greatest laughs as the brash, gossipy and all-knowing postmistress. Still, the film is too heavy to be a lighthearted romp.

The plot is fairly well-constructed. It is more compelling than the murder plot in "Bon Cop Bad Cop", another Canadian film with fish out of water. Ranger Alan Hepditch (Fred Ewanuick) is an Ichabod Crane-like misfit who is the laughing stock of the Newfoundland rangers. He is sent away to Swyers' Harbour, ostensibly to investigate mysterious sheep attacks. In fact his smarmy Sargeant (Colin Mochrie) simply wants him out of the way. However, just before he arrives a local girl's body is found washed up on the beach and Hepditch is the only lawman in town.

Gradually Hepditch fumbles and stumbles his way through the mystery guided (and sometimes misguided) by the predictably colourful townspeople. These include the local doctor(Rémy Girard), his wife(Andrea Martin), a young admirer of the deceased (Jonny Harris), a menacing pastor (Andy Jones) and the leader of a militant Ladies Auxillary (fellow CODCO veteran Cathy Jones).

Overall I enjoyed this offbeat film. However I think it would have been better if so many depressing elements were not piled one on top of another. Sometimes I felt a lingering sadness that interfered with the comic relief scenes that followed. Like my fellow poster, I felt the cartoon and black and white scenes were unnecessary. If you are willing to put up with the flaws that I have mentioned, Young Triffie has a passable story and some good laughs.

Since "Young Triffie..." relies so much on the local dialects, details and character types of outport Newfoundland, it may at first be jarring to a viewer who is not familiar with the region. However, for those who do know it, and for those who appreciate well delineated character types in comedy, this movie is rewarding and enjoyable. Due to its, at times, nearly grisly content, there is a temptation to call this a black comedy. However, that is only true in comparison with the depthless slapstick that passes for comedy in mainstream film. In a more classical and theatrical sense, this is a fine comedy with a compelling narrative backbone which supports a variety of fascinating characters. The darker elements also speak to the rich comic history of Newfoundland, in which laughter is a survival tool in the face of adversity, and humour can be found in the bleakest of situation.

Fred Ewaniuck does a fine turn as the young Ranger, playing well into the stereotype of a "Come From Away" who is initially mystified in the face of outport life. He is reminiscent of early Rowan Atkinson, and there are some moments of truly brilliant physical comedy that make this movie fun to watch.

Mary Walsh as Millie Bishop is dead on the money in her character portrayal. She has played this character type since her days on WGB and in this film seems to have finally perfected it. As the director, she's carried off the balance of comedy and mystery very well, keeping the film from tipping too far one way or the other.

The other performers were well cast and do a fine job of carrying off their various character types. Andrea Martin, especially, is especially enjoyable in a deliberately over the top role that still manages to pull off a few believable moments of depth.

It's not a perfect movie. The soundtrack is somewhat jarring at times when it veers into, as someone else commented, Loony Toons territory. Similarly, I found some of the flashback scenes a little bit off from what I saw as their intent. Finally, I thought the climax of the film was a little bit rushed and sloppy, although not enough to derail the story.

Fans of works like Tom Sharpe's novels, Monty Python or "A Fish Called Wanda" will definitely enjoy this film. However, I suspect that since that's a limited subset of film fans, this movie will be relegated to cult status. That's not bad, but I think it deserves better.

After watching "Young Triffie" for the first time on CBC's late night yesterday I can safely say that I did not miss a hellova lot when the film debuted back in 2005.From her crusading stint on CBC's This Hour Has 22 Minutes as Marg, Princess Warrior, to the way she put a certain highly-placed Nova Scotia MP in his place for mistaking Halifax for Hogtown, it seems there's nothing that Mary Walsh can't do -- and do brilliantly. Then again, having endured Young Triffie, the movie that marks Walsh's feature-film directorial debut, maybe we should make that "almost nothing she can't do." Turns out, when it comes to directing movies, Martin Scorsese and John Ford need not lose much sleep over competition from Walsh. As a movie, Young Triffie no doubt made a damn fine play, which is precisely how it started out.

Written by Ray Guy under the title "Young Triffie's Been Made Away With," it seems to have enjoyed quite a success among discerning theatre goers on The Rock during its stage incarnation. As a film though it could have read "Young Triffie has been made away with by Mary Walsh." And nobody with a sense of the film entertainment would have noticed. Mr. Guy may never sleep the same after seeing one of his great masterpieces being thrown to the dogs. But then that's where Young Triffie, both play and subsequent movie, is set, specifically in Swyers Harbour -- a small, fictional Newfoundland out port, circa 1947.

It is to Swyers Harbour that an inept Newfoundland Ranger (Corner Gas' Fred Ewanuick) is sent packing to investigate what appears to be the ritual sacrifice of a sheep. This being 1947 Newfoundland, and the Ranger being particularly inept, he arrives in town blissfully unaware that circumstances have outstripped him. He will now be investigating the murder of young Triffie herself, she being the unfortunate and simple young daughter of a local crackpot evangelist (sadly played by Andy Jones). Adapted from the stage play by Christian Murray, Young Tiffie boasts a plot that embraces not only murder but paedophilia, incest, drug addiction, religious zealotry and a host of other societal ills. All serve as comic fodder for a cast that also includes Remy Girard (as the local doctor) and Andrea Martin (always miscast; as his meddling wife), Colin Mochrie (as Ewaniuck's commanding officer), Cathy Jones (as a local busy-body) and Walsh herself, cast as post mistress and purveyor of red herring, which in this case is a darn sight more prevalent than cod.

In short, it's the kind of comedy that a more experienced director might mind from a cast of dramatic actors, as opposed to a clutch of comedians. With the comics in control there is no bit of comic business too picayune, no characterization too over-the-top, to allow it to go to waste, even at the expense of paltry considerations such as dramatic arc and storyline. So instead of a cracking good yarn with comedic overtones, viewers are treated to Ewaniuk's best impersonation of Mr. Bean does Buena Vista, while Martin does her best to keep up with the tightly wound Joneses. How long I wonder will Miss Jones have to answer for the inadequate acting ability of her talentless brother.In the end, almost everybody -- except perhaps Newfoundland itself -- comes off looking totally daft.

God forbid that Mr. Guy would allow anyone from this friendly circus to touch "That Far Greater Bay." As a film director, Walsh still needs to learn what she apparently already knows as an actor: Concentrate on telling the story, and trust your audience to find the humour. Talk about a Filme Horribilis.

I was in fact reading the comments already listed here and honestly I am not sure of those - they do not understand nor appreciate art form. I watched the film this evening and I found it entertaining. YOU have to look at the film for its content, value, and you also have to understand the Director, who by the way - I find a wonderful actress/comedian and a pride for us Canadians. Good work there Ms. Walsh! The film reflects her comedic talents. And if one cannot see the irony in it - they are clearly missing the point Brilliant! I am having to fill this review section according to guidelines and so I won't hesitate to add that I have followed the works of Mary Walsh. And I love her work.