Housekeeping (1987)

After their mother commits suicide, two sisters end up living with their kind but peculiar aunt in their grandmother's old house in a small 1950s town.

Director:

Bill Forsyth

Writers:

Marilynne Robinson (novel), Bill Forsyth (screenplay)

Stars:

Christine Lahti, Sara Walker, Andrea Burchill

2 wins & 3 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 in 1955, two young sisters, abandoned by their mother, wind up living with their Aunt Sylvie, whose views of the world and its conventions don't quite live up to most people's expectations.

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Plot Keywords:

aunt niece relationship | small town | female protagonist | eccentric woman | flood | 

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Taglines:

A tidy comedy.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Quotes

Ruth: Silvie had no awareness of time. For her, hours and minutes were the names of trains.

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Crazy Credits

"For Marilynne and Fred and their two wonderful boys"

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Best Films of 1987 (1988)

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Soundtracks

Goodnight Irene
(uncredited)
Written by Leadbelly and John A. Lomax

User Reviews

A 'Best 10 List' Film to me

A work of Great Genius, this coming of age film is beautiful, haunting, darkly comic. I love Local Hero but I think this is Bill Forsyth's masterpiece so far. It is about conformity, parenting, coming of age, making choices, madness, creativity, adulthood, tragedies that every family endures, riding on trains, family traits and how they are passed down,living in a small town, life, death, boy scouts doing their good deed for the day, the many uses of newsprint ... the list goes on and on. In short, it is about everything and works at many levels, as a Great Film should. And this is a Truly Great Film, high on my top ten list of favorite films of all time. It is perfectly written, directed and filmed by Bill Forsyth of Scotland, and it includes a great performance by Christine Lahti and also by the supporting cast (esp. those who play her nieces). There is not a bad note in this film, it is a perfect film in every way, to my eye.

I understand why some commentators give this film a low rating -- they came looking for a comedy, or for the light melancholia of Local Hero (also a wonderful movie and one of my favorites). Housekeeping is dark melancholia, but it is also deeper and richer of a brew -- kind of Bergman with a sense of humor, in its vibe (though not its plot) it reminds me of another coming of age film, To Kill a Mockingbird, and it is of that film's high caliber.

This film is woefully under-appreciated in the U.S., I hope it is released on DVD soon. It deserves another chance to be recognized for what it is -- one of the greatest films of a generation. And I so hope that Bill Forsyth, still relatively young in his early sixties, gets back to writing and directing. His films are wonderful but too few. I really want to -- NEED to -- hear more from Mr. Forsyth, I feel his absence deeply, it is as if Yo-Yo Ma or Heifitz put away their fiddles after a few great concerts, and played no more. Please come back, Mr. Forsyth!

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1988 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Azo Min Doda

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$32,171, 29 November 1987

Gross USA:

$1,083,282

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,083,282

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1