Housekeeping (1987)

In the Pacific Northwest during the 1950's, two young sisters whose mother has abandoned them wind up living with their Aunt Sylvie, whose views of the world and its conventions don't quite... See full summary »

Director:

Bill Forsyth

Writers:

Marilynne Robinson (novel), Bill Forsyth (screenplay)

Stars:

Christine Lahti, Sara Walker, Andrea Burchill

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christine Lahti	...	Sylvie
Sara Walker	...	Ruth
Andrea Burchill	...	Lucille
Anne Pitoniak	...	Aunt Lily
Barbara Reese	...	Aunt Nona
Margot Pinvidic	...	Helen
Bill Smillie	...	Sheriff
Wayne Robson	...	Principal
Betty Phillips	...	Mrs. Jardine
Karen Elizabeth Austin	...	Mrs. Paterson
Dolores Drake	...	Mrs. Walker (as Delores Drake)
Georgie Collins	...	Grandmother
Tonya Tanner	...	Young Ruth
Leah Penny	...	Young Lucille
Brian Linds	...	Deputy Sheriff

Storyline

In the Pacific Northwest during the 1950's, two young sisters whose mother has abandoned them wind up living with their Aunt Sylvie, whose views of the world and its conventions don't quite live up the most people's expectations.

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Plot Keywords:

sister | aunt | flood | orphan | train | 

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Taglines:

A tidy comedy.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Azo Min Doda

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Gross:

$1,083,282 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Diane Keaton was originally cast as Sylvie but left due to creative differences.

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Quotes

Ruth: It must be his boat.
Sylvie: That or he's some sort of lunatic. Either way, I'm not going back to find out.

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Soundtracks

"SPARROW IN THE TREETOP"
Written by Bob Merrill
Performed by Guy Mitchell
Courtesy of Coombe Music International Limited, London

User Reviews

Great movie! Underscores the humanity and simplicity of being anonymous and of living "off of the grid"!

I wish this movie were available on DVD!!!

Christine Lahti does her typically superlative job of depicting a woman whose values come from the heart rather than deriving from the dictates of western civilization. As always, she expresses the best of the free spirit which I believe can be found in any one of us.

Two young sisters end up in the custody of their aunt Sylvie, who has spent her life having abandoned the trappings of western civilization in general and of consumerism in particular.

In order to support her young nieces, Sylvie returns from the wild, so to speak, and helps to raise the girls in a manner which allows them to see the freedom of disassociation from society and its dictated "norms".