Joan Orenstein Movies
Ten years after he disappeared from his family's life, Sweet William (Chris Leavins) returns home to Nova Scotia for his sister's wedding. Despite the fact that he's gone from a morbidly obese adolescent to a thin, handsome, self-assured young man, the reunion proves bittersweet. Although he reconnects with his loving sister Rosemary (Kerry Fox) and his Alzheimer's-afflicted grandmother Grace (Joan Orenstein), he is dismayed to learn that his parents' rocky marriage has settled into permanent animosity. He also witnesses the toll his absence has taken on his abusive, alcoholic father, Whiskey Mack (Peter MacNeill); his tight-lipped mother Iris (Seana McKenna); and Violet (Christine Dunsworth), the tomboyish younger sister he's never met. The past lingers in the very air of William's childhood home; disturbing visions of himself as both a waifish boy (Ian Parsons) and a fat adolescent (Troy Veinotte) follow him everywhere. And it's not just the ghosts who dredge up the past. Rosemary's new husband, Fletcher (Joel S. Keller), flirts shamelessly with William, bringing back memories of the painful relationship the two shared as teenagers. When Iris disappears, William must confront not only the haunting visions of his past, but also the unfinished business he left behind. The feature debut of writer/director Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden was the winner of the Air Canada People's Choice Award for best picture and the co-winner of the Toronto-CITY TV Award for Best Canadian Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Leavins, Kerry Fox, (more)
The deep bond formed between a troubled nephew and his simple uncle, whose character is reminiscent of Lenny from Of Mice and Men, is the focus of this Canadian melodrama set during the Depression in rural Ontario. Nine-year old Verlin will not talk, or cannot talk. His concerned and overprotective mother takes him to a doctor. She is angry at her husband Ferris whom she believes is indifferent to her boy's plight. When Ferris's child-like brother Henry comes to visit, the boy's life begins to change. Henry spends time with boy and teaches him about life. The two befriend Mabel, a retired, town prostitute with physical disabilities. The three outcasts become very close as they encounter obstacles to their friendship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Farmer, Keegan Macintosh, (more)
- 1987
While private detective Benny Cooperman works on a surveillance of a millionaire evangelist who is hiding for tax reasons, he comes across a string of murders. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1985
Based on the novel by Belva Plain, the three-part NBC miniseries Evergreen covered a time span from 1909 to 1959. The story begins in New York's Lower East Side with the arrival of Polish-Jewish immigrant Anna (Lesley Ann Warren). At first employed as a humble seamstress, Anna is whisked into a whole new world when she becomes the wife of the enterprising Joseph Friedman (Armand Assante), who eventually becomes a wealthy Westchester contractor. Even so, Anna's heart belongs to Paul Lerner (Ian Shane), the son of the prosperous Fifth Avenue family which employs her relatives. In 1918, Anna gives birth to Paul's daughter, allowing Joseph to believe that he is the father. The secret surrounding Anna's child will lead to a daunting and frequently heartbreaking chain of events, culminating decades later in the newly formed state of Israel, where Anna's grandson Eric hopes to "find himself" -- and ends up finding more than he bargained for. Also in the cast was Richard Burton's daughter, Kate Burton, as the wealthy Gentile wife of Anna and Joseph's son Maury (Tony Soper), a woman whose very presence causes a near-irreparable rift in an already fragmented family unit. Running a total of six hours, Evergreen originally aired on February 24, 25, and 26, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
- R
This WW II drama tells the true tale of a Canadian diamond broker who attempts to save Austrian Jews from Nazi brutality and persecution. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
