The Law of Enclosures

The film depicts the relationship between Beatrice and Henry as children, teenagers, and an elderly couple. The narrative, however, presents all three stages during the Persian Gulf crisis. Greyson ties these elements together with the use of a clock which "stops time" (in essence).

The film tends to be a bit on the strange side, but has a good story and a great concept. A nice change of pace from the usual narrative! Based on the novel by Dale Peck.

I saw the international premiere of this film at the Rotterdam International Film Festival on January 29th 2001 and it was such a disappointment. Awful acting and a pretentious score made this film rather unbearable. The director John Greyson seems to have been overly ambitious: Everything in the film is supposed to be extra cool but only hits the wrong notes. John Greyson should better be doing comedies again.

A great film about the struggles and decline of relationships. Sarah Polley is excellent as usual, she can just do no wrong in my book. Her character is a somber, depressed young women after her relationship with Brenden Fletcher changes from its romantic beginning to a lonely, neglected existence. The older couple of Dianne Ladd and Sean McCann is a particularly vicious pairing, they are very, very cruel to each other. Nice music/background sounds creating an atmospheric feel that puts one in touch with the mood of the film,... changes, life, pain, love, a story about these simple and complicated things.

I have seen The Law of Enclosures twice now. Although there are several flaws in the film, there are also many moments of brilliance. The director wove wonderful metaphors throughout the film, and the cinematography also had its moments. Brendan Fletcher gives an amazing performance - as always. I, personally, was fascinated by the film and am looking forward to director John Greyson moving onward and upward.

I bought this film on a whim because it was cheap and looked interesting; what I got was a moving story about the repetitious nature of romantic commitment. Greyson draws many resonating parallels between the older and younger incarnations of the couple, demonstrating that some dynamics never really change, especially in smaller, economically resource or industrial based towns. This is not to say that there is nothing progressive about the film; on the contrary, the narrative structure of this film is very complex, and the careful juxtaposition of ideas and images reveals a lot about the reassuring nature of companionship, even of the most frustrating kind.