The Hanging Garden (1997)

William, a once obese and troubled teen, goes back to his family's home after being gone, without word, for ten years and finds it (and his family) haunted with his past. He had moved to ... See full summary »

Director:

Thom Fitzgerald

Writer:

Thom Fitzgerald

Stars:

Ian Parsons, Peter MacNeill, Kerry Fox

21 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian Parsons	...	Little Sweet William
Peter MacNeill	...	Whiskey Mac
Troy Veinotte	...	Teen Sweet William
Kerry Fox	...	Rosemary
Mark Austin	...	Preacher
Joel S. Keller	...	Fletcher
Heather Rankin	...	Black-Eyed Susan
Christine Dunsworth	...	Violet
Seana McKenna	...	Iris
Joan Orenstein	...	Grace
Chris Leavins	...	Sweet William
Ashley MacIsaac	...	Basil--Fiddler
Jocelyn Cunningham	...	Laurel
Jim Faraday	...	Mr. MacDougal
Sarah Polley	...	Teen Rosemary

Storyline

William, a once obese and troubled teen, goes back to his family's home after being gone, without word, for ten years and finds it (and his family) haunted with his past. He had moved to the city and become a fit, well-adjusted gay man, but during his visit home, he becomes unhinged as the newly remembered reasons for his miserable adolescence come to life in each of their presents.

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Plot Keywords:

abusive father | gay | sex | wedding | alcoholic | 

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Taglines:

It's hard to go home... ten years after your death.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, language, and a scene of a hanging, and some teen drug use

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

El jardín colgante

Filming Locations:

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$45,830 (USA) (7 November 1997)

Gross:

$925,756 (USA) (10 July 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Communications Corporation, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC), Channel Four Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Grace the Nun: Father, can you come and bless this Virgin
[statue]
Grace the Nun: for the lady, please?
Iris: No no, that's not necessary, please don't bother him ...
Grace the Nun: That's what he's here for, it's included! Father, are you ready to bless the Virgin or what?
[The priest comes up to the store counter and picks up the Virgin statuette.]
Grace the Nun: Oh hang on now, she hasn't got the receipt. How many times do I tell you, don't bless the Virgin until you get the receipt!

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Connections

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004)

User Reviews

Dysfunction junction

"The Hanging Garden" is a slice-of-dysfunctional-life dramady with a coming-of-age flashback which takes you into the tangled web of peculiar family matters and relationships of a Nova Scotia family who live in shadow of a drunkenly abusive patriarch. The quirk infested family includes a gay asthmatic son, a foul mouthed daughter, a wishy-washy mother, a senile old granny, the abusive gardener father, and a kid. The film centers on the grossly overweight son who hangs himself from a tree and remains there as a sort of macabre metaphor for familial dysfunction while living on as a skinny adult and achieving some semblance of normalcy. In spite its obvious weirdness, this earthy flick manages to ground itself with a sense of reality while showing the constant struggle to function in spite of the characters' fractured coping skills. Not for everyone, this fist outing for writer/director Thom Fitzgerald is, IMHO, better than his more recent film "The Event". Fodder for those into quirky flicks about dysfunctional families. (B)