Kristen Thomson Movies
Filmmaker Atom Egoyan -- a longtime onscreen collaborator with the gifted young actress Sarah Polley (The Sweet Hereafter) -- executive-produced Polley's directorial debut, Away from Her, starring Julie Christie, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, and Wendy Crewson. Adapted by Polley from a short story by Alice Munro, this small-scaled two-character drama concerns Grant (Gordon Pinsent) and Fiona (Christie), a long-married couple, well into their golden years, who are much in love and connected to one another on every level. "Soul mates" in the purest sense of the term, the two feel a sense of ease and tranquility in their rural home. But when Fiona's memory begins to slip away and she insists on being taken to a rest home, the decision stirs up torrents of guilt and regret in Grant's heart. The rules of the center only complicate matters, as they forbid visitation and communication with Fiona for an interminable period of time. He determines to support his wife at all costs, even if must happen at the expense of his own peace of mind. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, (more)
Canadian filmmaker John Greyson teams up with South African activist Jack Lewis to direct the period romantic drama Proteus. Based on a true story from 1735, the story involves a forbidden love affair between two prisoners in a colony near Cape Town. Black servant Claas Blank (Rouxnet Brown) is arrested for stealing back his own cattle from a white man. Because he has learned to speak English and Dutch, he is allowed to help European botanist Virgil Niven (Shaun Smyth) cultivate flowers. Part of his punishment is fetching water with white Dutch prisoner Jacobsz (Neil Sandilands), who eventually becomes his lover. After Niven leaves the colony, Blank and Jacobsz are caught and forced to confess. Proteus was shown at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rouxnet Brown, Shaun Smyth, (more)
- 2002
The family drama Flower & Garnet is the feature-length debut from Canadian filmmaker Keith Behrman. Ten years after the death of the family matriarch, the widower and her two children are still coming to terms with their lives. Daughter Flower (Jane McGregor) gets pregnant and moves out. Her younger brother, Garnet (Colin Roberts), is an odd child who has trouble connecting with father Ed (Callum Keith Rennie). One of Ed's former girlfriends, and a gun, are key to the plot. Flower & Garnet was screened at the Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Callum Keith Rennie, Jane McGregor, (more)
