Paul Stephens Movies

In this powerful independent drama, Franklin Page (Donal Logue) is a war veteran who saw some ugly things in combat and has the missing finger to prove it. But seven years after returning home, Franklin has put the nightmares of the past behind him; he married his pretty sweetheart Irene (Molly Parker), they have two children, they share a comfortable home in the country and Franklin has a good job in a factory. One evening, there's a knock on the door and Franklin is surprised to find Sherman Oliver (Garret Dillahunt) standing on the porch. The two men served together in the Army and Franklin saved Sherman's life in a battle that saw Sherman take a bullet in the head. While Franklin is surprised that his buddy has shown up unannounced, he and Irene welcome him in and make a place for him at the dinner table. Sherman is clearly still coming to terms with the war and he has no family, no job and no home; Franklin isn't sure what to do for him but is willing to let him stay at his home for a few days. As the days pass, Sherman becomes a more uncomfortable and unstable presence, and Franklin has to weigh his loyalty to Sherman against his responsibility to his family. Oliver Sherman was the first feature film from writer and director Ryan Redford. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Faith, family, and devotion are all explored in Polish director Agnieszka Holland's intense family drama. Julie (Miranda Otto) and her twin children, Nick (Ryan Smith) and Nicole (Bianca Crudo), cut short a ski outing due to Nick suddenly taking ill. As they arrive back at home, Julie catches her husband, Henry (William Fichtner), with another woman and promptly moves to end their marriage. Meanwhile, Nick has another spell similar to the first one and doctors discover a tumor in his brain. Further complicating matters is Nick's allergy to the necessary chemotherapy drugs, which prompts Julie to abandon traditional medicine and seek out a Polish healer named Alexei Ormow (Lothaire Bluteau). As the healer begins making progress on the youngster, Alexei and Julie begin to fall in love with each other -- a development that greatly troubles Julie as she struggles to determine how to proceed in the best interests of her family. In 2002, Julie Walking Home (aka The Healer) was selected for inclusion in the Venice Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

In this Canadian film, overweight piano prodigy Junior Brown (Martin Villafana) searches for a piano because his goofy mother (Lynn Whitfield) severed the strings on the family piano. Since paranoid Miss Peebs (Margot Kidder), his piano teacher, won't let him finger her keyboard, he has to run scales on her dining room table. Fortunately, Junior has a friend -- troubled Buddy Clark (Rainbow Sun Francks) who lost his family in a fire when he was a young child. Buddy goes out with a teen runaway (Sarah Polley), and he helps eccentric school janitor Mr. Pool (Clark Johnson) construct a model of the solar system in the school basement. Junior's frustrations mount as his quest continues. Music includes Chopin's "Prelude No. 4". Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi