The Baroness and the Pig

Call me a cultural bigot, but I'm predisposed to dislike Canadian movies. Don't ask me why, because I love the rest of what the country offers. I'm just skeptical that even the best movie produced in Canada can rival the middle of the Hollywood pack. The Baroness and the Pig supports my case.

I believe that Michael Mackenzie is a playwright by trade, and in fact this film might have been better suited to the theatre. Nevertheless, in his directing debut, Mackenzie delivers an incredibly beautiful film, making exquisite choices of sepia-toned elegance that nicely complements this period piece set in France. Patricia Clarkson is excellent as the Baroness, but the rest of the cast is generally disappointing, especially Caroline Dhavernas as Emily, a plum role that she somehow manages to perform without eliciting the slightest emotional response from the audience. This is perhaps the biggest disappointment of the entire film, although the script is uneven and the pace a little sluggish at times.

Mackenzie shows promise as a director, and this may be one of the best films out of Canada this year. What does that tell you?