Themes: Family Gatherings, Families in Crisis, Coming Home
Main Cast: Molly Parker, Rebecca Jenkins, Marguerite McNeil, Hollis McLaren, Joseph Rutten
Release Year: 2003
Country: CA
Run Time: 90 minutes
Plot
Thee adult sisters are forced to face the scars of their past as they wait at their mother's deathbed in this drama written by noted Canadian actor Daniel MacIvor. Agnes (Molly Parker) grew up in Sydney, a small town in Nova Scotia; hoping to get away from memories of an unhappy childhood, Agnes moved to Toronto, where she found more than her share of disappointments. When Agnes receives word that her mother Rose (Marguerite McNeil) is in failing health, she returns to Sydney for the first time in years, where she's met by her sisters, Theresa (Rebecca Jenkins), who has been turned bitter by a bad divorce, and Louise (Stacy Smith), who prefers withdrawing into herself to dealing with the outside world. As the four women attempt to make peace with one another, Agnes decides it's time they faced several unpleasant truths, including the abuse they faced at the hands of her father. The first directorial effort from Wiebke Von Carolsfeld, Marion Bridge was screened in competition at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival as part of the "Perspective Canada" series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Hollis McLaren - Chrissy; Joseph Rutten - Ken; Ellen Page - Joanie; Nicola Lipman - Valerie; Elissa Sursara - Sam
Credit
Jenny Lewis - Casting, Brent Barclay - Co-producer, Martha Curry - Costume Designer, Wiebke Von Carolsfeld - Director, Dean Soltys - Editor, Lesley Barber - Composer (Music Score), William Fleming - Production Designer, Stefan Ivanov - Cinematographer, Jennifer Kawaja - Producer, Julia Sereny - Producer, Bill Niven - Producer, Ian Greig - Set Designer, Paul Adlaf - Sound/Sound Designer, Daniel MacIvor - Screenwriter, Daniel MacIvor - Play Author
Agnes (Molly Parker), in the midst of a struggle to overcome her own self destructive behaviour, returns to Sydney, Nova Scotia from Toronto, Ontario because of the failing health of her mother Rose (Marguerite McNeil). She is met by her older sister Theresa (Rebecca Jenkins), a devout Catholic who has recently been dumped by her husband for a younger woman, and Louise (Stacy Smith), the middle child who has retreated from the outside world. Her arrival sets in motion a chain of events that allows the family to reconnect with the world and one another.
