Alice Munro 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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, (more)
In remote Canada in the middle of the 19th century, 16-year-old Annie (Caroline Dhavernas) is taken from an orphanage by Simon (Brendan Fehr), a young Scot who needs a bride to help him settle his rural homestead. Upon arriving at the land Annie finds the cabin is only partially built -- they'll have to live in a tent -- and Simon's brother George (Corey Sevier) will also live there. As it happens, Simon proves to be a selfish, drunken brute who sexually abuses his young bride; George, a gentleman with an intellectual bent, can't stand to see the hateful treatment Annie undergoes at the hand of his brother -- because he's fallen in love with her. So when George returns from a hunting trip with Simon's dead body wrapped in a blanket, it doesn't look good and Annie panics even though George insists the death was an accident. A local constable, James Mullen (Paul Johansson), begins investigating after locking up Annie for safekeeping. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Caroline Dhavernas, Corey Sevier, (more)
