23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Questions deserve answers, April 28, 2004
As the director of this movie, that was poorly distributed it is very reassuring to read the reviews. For the viewer in Tennesse that asked about Peter...he plays the Reverend...the man who intially set up the marriage and who comes to the jail in hopes of saving the soul of Annie Herron. If you are curious about this story read the original short story called Wilderness Station by Alice Munro - one of our finest. AW
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Film, February 15, 2005
I just watched this film and was amazed by the acting as well as the directing. Anne Wheeler does a wonderful job in capturing the beauty of the Canadian Wilderness in the 1800's. The acting in this movie is superb. Caroline Dhavernas, who plays Annie Herron, is an amazing talent and her performance in this film was wonderful. The violence in this film was tastefully done, if that is even possible. Brendan Fehr, who plays Annie's angry and abusive husband, did an excellent job. You really dislike this guy and want him to suffer the way he makes those around him suffer. I am from the U.S. and knew nothing about this film or the short story it was adapted from until I started researching the work of Caroline Dhavernas. I recommend this film, it's beautifully put together.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you can't beat Hollywood at CGI, beat 'em at realism., May 17, 2004
What must it have been like in the mid-1800's homesteading the Canadian plains for a young woman in a marriage of convenience to a brutish husband, when the accents mingled curiously? I think I have acquired a sense of that because of the authentic texture the film-makers gave to this frontier setting.
The story is presented in the form of a mystery, altho the resolution is pretty easy to anticipate. It's the characters and situations we meet along the way, their interaction, their sensibilities, that move the story. But at a languid pace, like the times--when commuting was measured in hours and days.
The resilient young woman is at the center of two plots and her determination is made plausible by the immensely talented Caroline Dhavernas, and palatable with her offbeat beauty and lovely French-Canadian accent. The other actors acquit themselves well, even the normally amateurish Brendan Fehr. But only the direction (by Anne Wheeler) and photography contribute as much as Dhavernas does.
Not a great film, but fascinating if you want atmosphere, and a glimpse of a different era, and plenty of glimpses of a nude Dhavernas.
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