Cardinals

Ok, I get it's a low budget movie. Acting was fair. The story line above average. However the movie was extremely slow. It never had an exciting moment. The ending was poor. Without spoiling anything, what you are led to believe happened at the end would not have happened by actual law. Can think of a much better ending but I think the person deserved what happened and they just wrote it in the story line. Only watch this if you are extremely bored.

Take me to your darkest room. Close every window and lock the door. This is kitchen zink realism. Wow! A film that actually tell you a story with the help of dialogue and images. Who does not want to dazzle you with artistry. Or trying to hide that the story is made up along the way. In "Cardinals" we are offered a story with substance. Plus a cast and a crew who knows how to communicate this and more to us, the audience. I am so grateful. This is the play Sam Shepard never got around to write. "It's also the best film that Atom Egoyan never made." (Andrew Parker TIFF)

Valerie Walker (Sheila McCarthy) is released from prison after a drunk driving incident sent her away. Her daughters, Eleanor (Katie Boland) and Zoe (Grace Glowicki), bring her home. Her dead victim's son Mark Loekner (Noah Reid) asks her questions about the incident, but the answer is unconvincing. The incident is more complicated than the explanation in court.

There is one big mystery and that's about it. The audience is left waiting and waiting for the slow reveal for an hour. The reveal is way too slow. By the time that everything is laid out on the table, the movie is almost two thirds over. They need to reverse the distribution and reveal much much sooner.

Don't let the low ratings fool you. This is a great debut for Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley; with very smart direction. Aided by well paced, atmospheric beats, and outstanding performances. This is not your typical character study on a family torn apart by a mistake nor is it your typical picture that follows one woman's redemption arc as she grapples with a mistake that cost her everything. This original script builds tension in the most uncomfortable way and boils over during the final 10 minutes of the film. Some will find the ending unsatisfying, hence the low ratings, but for those who can appreciate the unconventional approach to this story, you'll find it just as satisfying as the first and second act.

Saw this at TIFF. Wasn't expecting a lot so was very pleasantly surprised. This is a deliberate (some might say slow) and well drawn psychological thriller. We start with a scene that makes little sense and then fast-forward a number of years. There is clearly a mystery here surrounding a crime that was committed some years earlier by the starring character. However, as the movie begins to unfold and the pieces fall into place, the mystery slowly takes shape. As the viewer, we are anxious to see the next piece of the puzzle reveal itself but the movie takes its time and this only adds to the suspense. All the lead characters contribute effectively to the tension which builds throughout. Peter Spence, in a secondary role as the parole officer adds some much-needed humour to the scenes in which he appears. The combination of his facial expressions and dialogue elicited much laughter in the theater on the day that I watched the film (I didn't think that beef and black bean sauce could be such an amusing expression). And if you like swans, you will be very happy with a scene about two-thirds of the way into the film. The ending is written so as not to hit the viewer over the head and leaves perhaps a number of questions which my wife and I discussed as we walked out of the theater into the bright daylight of the fading summer. A real little gem!