Small Town Murder Songs (2010)

A modern, gothic tale of crime and redemption about an aging police officer from a small Ontario Mennonite town who hides a violent past until a local murder upsets the calm of his newly reformed life.

Director:

Ed Gass-Donnelly

Writer:

Ed Gass-Donnelly

Stars:

Jill Hennessy, Amy Rutherford, Peter Stormare

6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jill Hennessy	...	Rita
Amy Rutherford	...	Ava
Peter Stormare	...	Walter
Vladimir Bondarenko	...	Deacon
Stephen Eric McIntyre	...	Steve (as Eric McIntyre)
Martha Plimpton	...	Sam
Aaron Poole	...	Jim
Ari Cohen	...	Washington
Trent McMullen	...	Officer Kevin
Erin Brandenburg	...	Officer Michelle
Kat Germain	...	Jenny
Jessica Clement	...	Deb
Andrew Penner	...	Worker 1
Alan Penner	...	Worker 2
John Penner	...	John Penner

Storyline

Walter is the chief of police in a small Ontario town that has its first murder victim, an attractive young woman who is found naked on the shores of the nearby lake. The woman isn't local and while the Ontario Provincial Police have taken the lead in the investigation, Walter assists where he can. The town is mostly a close-knit Mennonite community and Walter has recently returned to his church. He is also trying to deal with his own temper that led to a violent incident some months before. As the young woman is identified, it becomes apparent that Walter's former love interest may be lying.

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Plot Keywords:

police | mennonite | murder | redemption | fisticuffs | 

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence, disturbing images, a scene of sexuality, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 2011 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Small Town Murder Scenes

Filming Locations:

Lucan, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,825 (USA) (3 June 2011)

Gross:

$30,858 (USA) (12 August 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

3 Legged Dog Films, Resolute Films and Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jackie Burroughs final film.

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Goofs

In the credit for the song "Here Comes the Comet," written is misspelled as "wriiten."

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Connections

References CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)

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Soundtracks

"I Don't Want to be Your Friend"
Written by Diane Warren
Performed by James Easter Bradford

User Reviews

Disjointed, uneven

To be fair, the director set himself up with a task that was going to undermine him. This is the story of a severely bottled-up individual who has a history of rage and violence, who has separated himself from larger society both because he can't trust himself and they know they can't trust him either. But to play such a character means going inward so much that it doesn't give the viewer a whole lot to look at. There are long stretches of this short movie where we see the protagonist simply frozen with his own torment.

The standout performance here is by Jill Hennessey, who conveys such resentment and antipathy toward the protagonist that it practically jumps off the screen. Every frame she's in the movie becomes compelling. If there had been more done with the back story between these two it might have made for a more interesting story.

Regarding the music - this kind of new-gospel is not to my taste, but even if it were, the fact that it's amped-up so loud compared to the rest of the film, where the characters barely speak above a whisper, is completely off-putting. What is supposed to add emotional and spiritual impact ends up just sounding bombastic. I felt aurally mugged.