(Canada, 102 min.)
Written and directed by Michael McGowan
Starring: James Cromwell, Geneviève Bujold.
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| Irene (Geneviève Bujold) and Craig (James Cromwell). Photo by Ken Woroner. |
What happens when a filmmaker delivers one of strongest
films ever to emerge from this country? It’s almost inevitable that any film
that falls in the same vein will feel as if it’s not up to snuff. Such is the
case with Still Mine, the latest film
from Canadian director Michael McGowan (Score: A Hockey Musical!), which simply can’t shake its resemblance to Sarah
Polley’s excellent 2007 film Away from
Her. Away from Her, a love story
that sees Grant (Gordon Pinsent) care for his long-time wife Fiona (Julie
Christie) as she experiences Alzheimer’s, remains one of the most honest and
affective films to hit the screen in the last decade. Still Mine, a love story that sees Craig (James Cromwell) care for
his long-time wife Irene (Geneviève Bujold) as she experiences Alzheimer’s, is
also honest and affective. However, through no fault of its own, Still Mine simply isn’t Away from Her.
There is one startling difference, however, between the manner in which love leads Grant and Craig to care for their ailing wives differently. Grant, partly due to Fiona’s poised headstrongness, allows his wife to receive any and all possible treatment for her condition, no matter the pain it may cause him. Craig, on the other hand, refuses to let Irene’s condition receive the proper diagnosis and care. Irene seems aware that her motor isn’t running properly, so it feels cruel to watch as Craig scolds Irene’s forgetful behaviour and she stands there flustered and oblivious as to why her husband is upset. Craig is selfish, whereas the mutual selflessness of Grant and Fiona made their romance ineffably poignant.
Craig, at 89 years old, might have ample reason to want to
hold on to Irene and prevent her from being admitted to a nursing home. Their
farm in the small town of St. Martins, New Brunswick is a relic from a bygone
era. Craig showers outdoors, he cuts and splits his own wood, and he picks
fields of strawberries by hand and drives them into town himself. Craig’s
world, however, seems to be reaching the finish line, as various pieces of his
life are put to an end by bureaucratic kerfuffle.
Craig’s marriage is thus the final constant in his life. If
he can hold on to Irene, they can end their days peaceful and successful. Craig
therefore decides to build Irene a new house, a smaller one that can accommodate
her ailing health and provide her the panoramic view of the countryside that
she’s always wanted.
Like everything else in Craig’s life, though, the house
becomes tangled in rules, permits, and newfangled bylaws. A local bureaucrat
(Jonathan Potts) bickers with Craig constantly that he will tear down the house
unless Craig complies with all the new codes and leaves the construction to a
professional. Craig’s handiwork exceeds the standards of the new ways, much
like how the team of old pros that built my own family cottage can hammer a
nail far better than any of the new union guys can, but it seems that
bureaucratic Canada is no country for old men.
The house thus becomes a symbol for Craig’s existence. The
battle for the house is a fight for Craig’s domestic life. Do his skills still
have a home in the contemporary world? Can he still provide for Irene? Can he
maintain the one thing that has endured?
Cromwell is excellent as Craig and he offers his strongest
film work since LA Confidential. Still
Mine might be the best performance of Cromwell’s career. With the dignity
and quiet grace that Cromwell brings to this role, it’s easy to see how he won
this year’s Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor. The veteran actor offers an especially
poignant scene towards the end of the film as Craig inspects the family dining
room table and fondly runs his hand across the scars and marks that decades of
family life have left on the piece he built from scratch. Like his marriage to
Irene, the table has endured some rough patches. McGowan puts Craig’s wedding
band in the direct centre of the frame and as Craig reminiscences about the
life that he and Irene built together. It’s evident that their current project
is sure to stand in spite of its imperfections.
Bujold is equally strong in the subtly devastating role of
Irene. It’s interesting to see how the actress portrays her character’s
struggle with Alzheimer’s so differently from Julie Christie’s take in Away from Her. While both characters
must grapple with the symptoms of their slipping memory, Irene has the added intricacy
of sensing her deterioration with a fearful half-consciousness. Both
interpretations are multifaceted, yet respectful takes on mental illness.
Still Mine delivers
a quietly moving tale thanks to the strength of its two lead performers. It’s
ironic, though, that a film so involved with memory finds itself a victim of recollection.
Still Mine is a fine tale of undying
love, but it simply doesn’t compare to the emotional complexity or power of Away from Her. Even in some of the most
touching moments of Still Mine does the
film call attention to Polley’s film directly. The final embrace between Irene
and Craig looks like a mirror image of the familiar cuddle between Fiona and
Grant that appeared on the majority of promotional stills for Away from Her. Still Mine is nevertheless a worthy film in its own right thanks to
the exceptional performances of Cromwell and Bujold. One might just require a
slip of the mind to appreciate Still Mine
on the level of a first love.
Rating: ★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
Still Mine is currently playing in Toronto at the Cineplex Varsity
and Varsity VIP Cinemas.
It opens in Ottawa on
May 17th at The ByTowne and Empire Kanata.
