Hey folks, Harry here with Dirk Carrion with his look at a Canadian film called MARION BRIDGE starring Molly Parker, who is apparently on some show called SIX FEET UNDER. Sounds like a real winner of a film, here ya go...
Hi Harry,
Dirk Carrion reporting from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. ItÃs been a great festival so far. Last night Jeff Bridges was here to accept the FestivalÃs Modern Master award, and I finally got to see IRREVERSIBLE (very, very good). I also had a chance to attend a Q&A with director Gaspar Noe afterward. He is, how you say, eccentric but also very funny (which was strange after such a serious film).
What I really wrote to talk about is a Canadian film called MARION BRIDGE, whose US premiere I attended Sunday night. It caught my eye because it was filmed almost entirely in Sydney, Nova Scotia, a town about 80 km (50 of your miles) from were I grew up.
MARION BRIDGE is the story of three sisters, the youngest of whom returns home to Nova Scotia to help care for her dying mother. Directed by Weibke (pronounced something like Vee-bkey) von Carolsfelf, and starring Canadian actress Molly Parker (American audiences might recognize her as Rabbi Ari from SIX FEET UNDER) the film serves as a reminder as to why so many people are in love with independent cinema.
Anyone who sees this movie will probably compare it to THE HOURS, simply because it is a film about three women. But there is a subtly to independent film that mainstream fare has yet to reproduce. MARION BRIDGEÃS best moments occur in silence. When their mother finally looses her voice to throat cancer, the only way she can communicate with her daughters is by drawing a heart on a small piece of paper. ItÃs all very well acted, which keeps the film from running the rail as it deals with large issues.
And it does deal with some large issues. Incest, homosexuality, and alcoholism are all brought up at points, and each handled in applause worthy fashion. The film works because it never looses track of the heart of the story, the relationship between the sisters and the unbreakable ties of family.
The film is wonderfully put together. Von CarolsfeldÃs training as an editor shows in the pacing of the film. The scenery helps too; Eastern Canada has a feeling to it unlike anywhere else, at once beautiful and gloomy, lovely and sad.
The interiors are also exceedingly well done. The director attributed much of this to the last minute signing of Nova Scotia native Christopher Porter as her gaffer (Christopher Porter has worked with cinematographer Robby M¸ller on almost every one of Jim JarmuschÃs films since DOWN BY LAW). Just how much this added to the production value of the film is indescribable.
I got the chance to speak with von Carolsfelf after the screening. SheÃs a German whoÃs been living in Toronto, working as an editor and directing when she can. She told me that the film has just found an American distributor and will probably see a limited release this April. A DVD version will also be available early April from www.filmmovement.com. With regards to the film in general, she said that many films exist that are about girls who canÃt find guys. This film is different because the focus never shifts from the sistersà point of view. She was a real pleasure to talk to, and I wish her the best of luck with her career.
IÃm glad to see more women in control of the camera. Hollywood is very testosterone heavy, and even films intended for a female audience (like THE HOURS) are often directed by males. One of the benefits of the recent increase in the popularity of independent films, one that I feel many people have overlooked, is the increase in the number of female directors. I hope itÃs a trend that will continue, as the film-going public has been missing out on a lot of talent.
I left the theatre in high spirits. I had seen a great movie and had the chance to talk to a very nice director, when I was confronted by a giant AGENT CODY BANKS poster hanging from the wall. A film that will make more money and reach more people than MARION BRIDGE ever will.
The world is an unfair place.
You can help combat this unfairness. Go see MARION BRIDGE if it opens near you. If you canÃt make the limited release, try to track down a copy on DVD. It will be worth your time.
Until then, Viva Canada.
-Dirk Carrion
