Brent Barclay

A woman's mistakes come back to haunt her in a terrifying and very literal manner in this thriller. Dr. Samantha Goodman (Kate Greenhouse) is a clinical psychiatrist who works with patients at an institution for the criminal insane in Canada. Things have not been rosy for Sam lately -- she's been violently attacked by one of her patients, her marriage to husband Dave (Gordon Currie) is in bad shape, and she has an inoperable brain tumor that's growing at an alarming rate. Sam needs a weekend away from the city, but what Dave has set up isn't especially relaxing for her -- a short holiday at a cabin in the woods, where Dave will be working on editing his latest book with the help of Melody (Iris Graham), Sam's younger and more attractive sister. As Sam watches sparks begin to fly between her sister and her husband, Harlan Pyne (Aidan Devine) and his friend Adrian (Dov Tiefenbach) break into the cabin and announce their presence by shooting Sam's pet dog. Harlan is a convicted sex offender and murderer who was placed under Sam's care in the institution and wasn't happy with the experimental treatment he received; having escaped, he and Adrian have tracked her down and decide to take revenge by forcing Sam, Melody, and Dave to participate in a series of strange and humiliating games -- at gun point. The Dark Hours was the first feature-length film from director Paul Fox, who previously distinguished himself working on a number of successful Canadian television series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Thee adult sisters are forced to face the scars of their past as they wait at their mother's deathbed in this drama written by noted Canadian actor Daniel MacIvor. Agnes (Molly Parker) grew up in Sydney, a small town in Nova Scotia; hoping to get away from memories of an unhappy childhood, Agnes moved to Toronto, where she found more than her share of disappointments. When Agnes receives word that her mother Rose (Marguerite McNeil) is in failing health, she returns to Sydney for the first time in years, where she's met by her sisters, Theresa (Rebecca Jenkins), who has been turned bitter by a bad divorce, and Louise (Stacy Smith), who prefers withdrawing into herself to dealing with the outside world. As the four women attempt to make peace with one another, Agnes decides it's time they faced several unpleasant truths, including the abuse they faced at the hands of her father. The first directorial effort from Wiebke Von Carolsfeld, Marion Bridge was screened in competition at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival as part of the "Perspective Canada" series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide