Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Marion Bridge (2002)

Marion Bridge (2002) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 4 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   707 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Daniel MacIvor (play)
Daniel MacIvor (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Marion Bridge on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 April 2003 (Canada) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
Three estranged sisters reunite to care for their dying mother and old conflicts and secrets return to the surface. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
6 wins & 8 nominations more
User Comments:
Marion Bridge on Reel 13 more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Molly Parker ... Agnes
Rebecca Jenkins ... Theresa
Stacey Smith ... Louise
Marguerite McNeil ... Rose

Ellen Page ... Joanie
Hollis McLaren ... Chrissy
Emmy Alcorn ... Dory
Joseph Rutten ... Ken
Nicola Lipman ... Valerie
Jackie Torrens ... Marlene
Kevin Curran ... Sandy
Ashley MacIsaac ... Mickey
Heather Rankin ... Sue
Linda Busby ... Evie
Stephen Manuel ... Tavern Bartender
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
90 min
Country:
Canada
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Sound Mix:
Stereo
Company:
Idlewild Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Agnes, Theresa and Louise are watching the movie The Five Senses (1999) on television. The particular scene of the movie shown solely features actor Daniel MacIvor. Daniel MacIvor is the screenwriter for this movie. more
Soundtrack:
Gloomy Winter more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful:-
Marion Bridge on Reel 13, 17 October 2008
Author: eplromeo8 from United States

The Canadian invasion continues on Reel 13 with yet another Canuck indie. This one is written by the same writer (Daniel MacIvor) as the worst Reel 13 film of all – WILBY WONDERFUL. Fortunately for us, they got a different director for this film (Wiebke von Carolsfeld), but he (or she, I suppose) doesn't seem to help much. On the whole, the direction is overly theatrical and uninspired. Where WILBY WONDERFUL was contrived and had a silly sitcom vibe about it, MARION BRIDGE is bleak, melodramatic, mostly lifeless, painfully slow and very, very dull.

The story of MARION BRIDGE, as based on MacIvor's own play, is centered around three sisters (it is my feeling that the connection to Chekhov is no accident) who reunite over the impending death of their mother. Each sister has their own issue: one is a recovering drug/alcohol abuser, the other is an overly maternal, rigid middle-aged woman recently out of a long relationship and the third is a lazy, closeted lesbian. One thing I'll say for Marion Bridge is that its characters are all well-defined, but the actresses' interpretations of these characters have varied results.

I'm sorry to say that Rebecca Jenkins is back as the eldest, uptight sister. She proves that her annoyingness in WILBY WONDERFUL was not a fluke. She was grating then, she is grating here and at no point do I believe any emotion she is trying to portray. She is the perfect example of a surface actress – nothing going on underneath. She says the words, but does not play the role with her whole self. Molly Parker fares a little better with the recovering drug abuser sister. She is pretty and mostly likable, but she forces the character's weaker moments. And honestly, at no point do I really get a sense of the character's dark past nor do I ever believe that the character presented by Parker ever really did drugs and alcohol. Stacy Smith, with her limited screen time, actually gives the most complete performance of the sisters as the lazy lesbian. She's believable and interesting – it's almost sad that she is the forgotten sister by the playwright and director. It should come as no surprise, however, that the best performance in the whole film belongs to Ellen Page, in a supporting role, as a random girl that the sisters almost seem to stalk. For those of you who think Juno might have been an accident, MARION BRIDGE (and HARD CANDY) is here to tell you that she is the real deal.

MARION BRIDGE fails to capture the attention of the audience early on and never really finds any burst of energy after that. The pain within the film is real, but it fails to be very engaging or interesting (It doesn't help that the video transfer seemed faded – the color palette seemed very bleak and muted). Furthermore, the revelation of the film's very dark secret was extremely anti-climactic. It could have been a very interesting twist in the film (it was in CHINATOWN), but here, it's very ho-hum. The result is I didn't really care – about the characters or their predicament. With that said, however, there is a moment at the very end of the film where the title song finally comes in (apparently it's a famous Canadian tune) and the director offers us a nice surprise in a wide shot that actually brought tears even to these cold, unfeeling eyes. Sadly, one good moment does not a film make and MARION BRIDGE failed to take full advantage of its potential, which is always a shame.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Marion Bridge (2002)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
What is Marion Bridge? davesato
title track. UrbanHobo
Agnes' last remark danashley
Just the right mix scottstravel
only 3 threads? s_dot_3
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Notes on a Scandal Marvin's Room Geraldine's Fortune A Walk to Remember The Phantom of the Opera
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Drama section IMDb Canada section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.