Excellent family drama from '02. Starts out like a typically rambling indie film but quickly becomes quite involving and suspenseful; I'm sorry that I found out a little too much about the plot beforehand from reading capsule reviews. Daniel MacIvor's script for "Wilby Wonderful" was overstuffed and chaotic, but here he gives you just enough information to get on with, so you're eager to sift for clues in the sometimes cryptic dialogue of the three main characters. "Marion Bridge" certainly deals with serious themes, but it's not at all gloomy or depressing. On the contrary, MacIvor shows his characters coming to terms with an unpunished crime that's been oppressing them for half their lives; comparisons with Mike Leigh's "Secrets & Lies," the highest praise IMHO, are certainly warranted. Molly Parker is a wonderfully expressive actress, and it's great to see her in a leading role. The Nova Scotia locale is pretty interesting in itself—the music, the accent, the landscape; seems a little like a maritime version of Appalachia. A lot of viewers will head for the exits when they hear words like "subtle," "naturalistic" and "prizewinning Canadian drama," but I know you're better than that... Available on disk from Netflix.
Review of Marion Bridge
Marion Bridge
(2002)
Pre-"Deadwood" Molly Parker and pre-"Juno" Ellen Page in a first-rate film from Canada
15 November 2014