re:mote voices

Title: Marion Bridge
Cast: Molly Parker, Stacy Smith, Marguerite McNeil, Ellen Page, Hollis McLaren, Emmy Alcorn
Director: Wiebke von Carolsfeld

Of the four films in this year’s North Of Hollywood showcase, the only two that really piqued my interest were Chaos And Desire and Marion Bridge. Of course one of the main factors in the appeal of Marion Bridge is the presence of Molly Parker, who is consistently strong, as well as having made some interesting career choices over the years.

Parker plays Agnes, one of three sisters, and the only one to have gotten away from small town life. However Agnes has come home, her mother is in the hospital, and as everyone in town is only too quick to tell her – being moved to the third floor means that she doesn’t have long left. From the start though Agnes is given a hard time by her two sisters, having gained something of a reputation over the years. With a history of drink and drugs Agnes has apparently hit bottom, and is desperate to get her act together, so despite her best efforts all her sisters recall are the bad times, and the way they see Agnes as having run away. So as far as everyone is concerned Agnes can do nothing right.

Which of course makes things difficult for her, especially when she wants to bring her mother home from the hospital, so they can at least spend these last days together as a family. For all the presumption that the other two sisters are pillars of the community and are good Christians of spotless reputations, it becomes clear that they are in fact appalling hypocrites. So that all the family secrets start to come out, until things come naturally to a head.

Marion Bridge is not a cheerful film, and as the true reasons behind bids for self-destruction and self-delusion become clear so does the darkness that lies at the heart of some families. With death at the centre of this reunion and decay at every level it is fair to say that Marion Bridge is a little depressing. The performances are strong, particularly between Agnes and her older sister Theresa, with spot on casting meaning that the two look similar enough that they could believably be sisters.