Crackie

The themes of this film are similar to those of Fish Tank (2009). Both films tell the story of working-class girls of 14 or 15 years old in transition from child-hood to woman-hood. In Fish Tank the girl lives with her single mother and they routinely argue; in Crackie the girl (Mitsy) lives with her single grand-mother and they routinely argue. Both characters seem to have limited financial resources and life opportunities - and unsatisfactory relationships with men who treat them with a lack of respect.

The settings of the two films are, however, very different. Crackie is set in a small community in rural Canada. The buildings are drab and so is the climate but the rural landscapes are expansive and serene.

I found the characters' behaviour and the film as a whole utterly believable. I enjoyed the wilderness setting too - but the film revealed, I think, much more about life in rural Newfoundland than I would learn if I were to actually travel there myself.

Only one of the characters is a man. I enjoyed Fish Tank very much indeed and I enjoyed Crackie at least as much. The main attraction, for me, was the insights it offered into womens' motivations.

Mitsy (Meghan Greeley) is a young woman living with her overbearing grandmother 'Nan' Bride (Mary Walsh) in Newfoundland. She is constantly told that her whoring mother Gwenny (Cheryl Wells) left her. She is desperate for a mutt dog and sleeps with Duffy (Joel Thomas Hynes) to get him. She is supposed to attend hairdressing school by Gail (Kristin Booth) despite not having the money. Then her mother returns leaving her other kids in Alberta and starts dating Duffy.

These characters are intriguing and played well by these actresses. The plot meanders a bit too much for the first half. The drama really can't start until the mother returns to town and she start getting into Mitsy's life. She's the motor that drives the drama in the story and it needs to start sooner. The writing is too loose but it produced a couple of interesting characters.

I cannot help but compare this to "Precious " made in the United States Both deal with young females from poor dysfunctional families , trying to find a better way The emotional and physical abuse displayed by the three generations of women were painful to watch, the absolute hate . just drove me to tears... The dog in the movie was tied up, mistreated and bore the brunt of everyone's frustrations. This is what made is so difficult for me to watch. I understand that the director of Precious made the decision not to show any type of animal cruelty because the American audience wouldn't tolerate it.

The poverty in Newfoundland was seen in every part of the movie, you couldn't escape it , just the way they couldn't seem to get out of their own way. The trailer for this movie did not reflect what a wonderful but painful movie this is

A very accomplished piece from director Sherry White dealing with the dysfunction of multiple generations in a small East Coast town.

The film is gritty and oft times bleak, but Meghan Greeley playing Mitsy is an absolute joy to watch and the novice actress steals every scene she's in, despite playing off a far more experienced cast (Mary Walsh as her grandmother)

The story of a character trying to better herself and venture from her place of origin is a fairly universal and relatable one, but what separates this film from so many others of it's kind is the strongly drawn characters that give the audience a true stake in their success.

This film is not for everyone. It is, after all, unabashadly Canadian in every aspect, but hopefully this won't preclude this terrific little indie from making it's way out to wider audience.