"Still Mine" is not a movie that's going to win any awards for excitement, so if that's the basis on which you judge a movie, then it will disappoint. But there's more to a movie than "excitement." There's thoughtfulness and sensitivity - and, of course, there are the performances.
"Still Mine" is a thoughtful and sensitive Canadian-made movie, based on the true story of Craig Morrison and his wife Irene, played in the movie by James Cromwell and Genevieve Bujold. It's in many ways a gentle and slow-paced movie that combines two generally unrelated subject matters: growing old, and fighting the bureaucracy. Irene has dementia, and is gradually losing her memory. To keep her safe, Craig decides to build a new house, but gets into trouble with local building inspectors in a small town in New Brunswick, who issue a stop work order until he agrees to do things their way. Craig knows what he's doing, and the house he's building is perfectly safe, but the bureaucracy only sees that he hasn't followed all the rules. Meanwhile, as Craig battles the bureaucracy, he also deals with Irene's decline - most often sensitively and lovingly, but sometimes - and understandably - getting overwhelmed and lashing out at her.
The performances from Cromwell and Bujold were very good, and Cromwell won a Canadian Screen Award (sort of the Canadian version of an Oscar) as Best Actor for his performance. They brought their characters to life, and as a viewer you cared about Craig and Irene.
No. This isn't an exciting movie. But if a movie that's touching and sensitive appeals to you, "Still Mine" is definitely worth watching. (7/10)
