Aaron Poole Movies

A man at war with his soul and his nature is led into a situation that turns his few friends against him in this psychological drama from Canada. Walter (Peter Stormare) is a policeman who was born and raised in a small Mennonite community, where he still lives and serves. Walter has a violent streak that he struggles to keep in check, and when he badly beat a man in the line of duty, his girlfriend Rita (Jill Hennessy) left him and many of his friends and family turned their backs on him. Walter has immersed himself in his faith to keep his demons at bay, and he has begun dating Sam (Martha Plimpton), a deeply religious woman, while Rita has taken up with ne'er-do-well Steve (Stephen Eric McIntyre). When the body of a woman who was raped and murdered is found in a nearby lake, Walter has to investigate the crime, and discovers that Steve found the body and Rita reported it to the police. As evidence begins to point to a man some see as Walter's rival, many of the townspeople lose their trust in Walter, and he finds himself stretched to the breaking point as he is torn between his duty, his reputation, and the people he cares about. The second feature film from writer and director Ed Gass-Donnelly, Small Town Murder Songs was an official selection at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Ed Gass-Donnelly highlights the inner city grey zone that exists between the haves and the have-nots in this urban drama focusing on the displacement of the lower classes by urban gentrification. In many cities, the only thing separating the junkies from the creative class is a posh, overpriced condo that sits where an abandoned building used to be. Carol (Caroline Cave) and her architect husband Harry (Noam Jenkins) are members of the latter group. Despite outward appearances, however, this struggling urban couple is consumed by their petty problems - both husband and wife slowly dying from the inside out. Lately, Harry has been feeling increasing pressure from the senior members of his firm, and he's been taking out his frustrations on his depressive spouse. One day, realizing that each lash from Harry's tongue is sending her one step closer to the grave, Carol leans over the balcony railing in a haze and immediately topples over the edge. As Carol recovers in the hospital and forms a warm connection to kindly policeman Peter (Stuart Hughes), husband Harry strikes up a conversation with neighborhood streetwalker Pretty (Kristin Booth), who scoffs at the architect's ambitious plan to improve their neighborhood. But Pretty's devoted boyfriend Johnny (Aaron Poole) doesn't want his girlfriend selling her body on the sidewalks anymore, and he's willing to fight to get her off of the streets before it's too late. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi