scott smith's 2nd (i believe) indie film tells the tale of a dysfunctional family, the fields, set in 1969 ontario. the father (callum keith renney) is a control freak, and all four females in the family must do whatever he says. the mother (miranda richardson) is an alcoholic, and stares at the TV screen sipping whiskey from a coffee cup. norma is the oldest, and unlike most of her girls at her school, she's heavyset and wears thick glasses. she befriends a girl at school, and the two become very close, spending Christmas together and dancing. lou is the rebellious, outspoken middle daughter, and spends her time smoking drugs in her American boyfriend's van. together they talk about all sorts of things, presidents of the united states and world issues. sandy is the youngest, spoiled, and what you would normally call a 'daddy's girl.' after she feels neglected by her family members and father, she starts an affair with a shoemaker, as old as her father. their relationship develops, and leads to an awkward threesome scene with the shoemaker's twin brother. i'll just leave it at that.
although a bit odd at times, and funny (especially when lou tries to get the attention of the American), it's quite a touching and moving film. katharine isabelle shines as lou, while sandy and norma (monte gagne), seem kind of bland. rennie and richardson play above average performances as the father and the mother.
the direction is great, set against the backdrop of ontario in the autumn/winter. at the end you get a good shot of niagara falls. this is a movie definitely worth seeing, although a couple of my friends thought it was boring. i didn't find it so. one of the best independent Canadian films to date.
9/10
although a bit odd at times, and funny (especially when lou tries to get the attention of the American), it's quite a touching and moving film. katharine isabelle shines as lou, while sandy and norma (monte gagne), seem kind of bland. rennie and richardson play above average performances as the father and the mother.
the direction is great, set against the backdrop of ontario in the autumn/winter. at the end you get a good shot of niagara falls. this is a movie definitely worth seeing, although a couple of my friends thought it was boring. i didn't find it so. one of the best independent Canadian films to date.
9/10