Powerful

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

If not for the wonderfully expressive face of Sandra Oh this movie wouldn't be worth watching. Her portrayal of an tightly wound realtor is quite hilarious. Quite a realistic character. The ongoing suicide attempt is quite funny. Ellen Page is a little under used. Not quite enough star power to draw in viewers. This Canadian indie movie about the day in the life of a small town is slightly insightful and entertaining with some laughs here and there. Nova Scotia seems a bit bleak in this movie - maybe that is the way the lighting is there. The gay plot seems a bit forced in to be modern.Worth one watch.

Reel 13's latest Indie hails from north of the border and features a cavalcade of Canadian stars, boasting the likes of Sandra Oh, Paul Gross, Maury Chaykin and Ellen Page. The film is a wannabe Altman with its multitude of characters intersecting in a small island town somewhere in Canada. The tone is less satirical than Altman, however, and more sitcom – like Northern Exposure with blander writing. Ultimately, it's pretty slow & boring. Very little of the film captured my attention. The film suffers the same fate as American Wake in that all its subplots dilute each other. Instead of having one well-told story, they have several empty ones.I normally don't like Sandra Oh, but found her to be among the more seasoned ensemble members. Ellen Page showed the early promise that she has since fulfilled with her Oscar-nominated turn in Juno. Maury Chaykin is good as usual. Most of the other performances are quite unfortunate. I don't see what all the buzz is about Paul Gross. I suppose he's good looking, but that's pretty much all he's got going' on. Rebecca Jenkins is an irritation on screen – very little subtlety in her choices.There is one extremely memorable performance in the movie and that is from veteran Canadian actor James Allodi. He is given very little to actually say in the film, which is probably the best thing to have happened to him. He communicates his anguish with his eyes and perhaps most impressively, his body language. It's a complete performance and one wishes that he had more screen time.Allodi's storyline takes a major shift at the beginning of the third act, which is a shift in tone for the film. It is a terrible tragedy in the story, the execution of which is done well. It seems as if the film is starting to finally display depth. Less than a minute later, however, it is washed away as the director chooses to play the tragedy as slapstick comedy. The film goes from Bergman to Laverne & Shirley in one swift, awful stroke.

Maybe it is just that I am a Californian and not a Canadian, but as an outsider, I have often loved Canadian Film. This is a prime example of what many Canadians seem to do that most US directors do not: take time to tell a story, not be afraid to show the dark side of characters, and trust actors to so what they do best.I saw this film at OUTFEST, and was moved by a gay film that puts homosexuality in context: all the main characters of this film seek love and validation. All do it in different ways. All feel that they have been untrue to themselves, somehow, in this search for love. All seem to feel somehow thwarted by their past (or maybe, in the case of Sandra Oh's character, the most recent past), as well, in this hunt. The struggle of gay people to receive respect AND the love they deserve has been placed squarely into a larger context (we all have this same struggle for identity and validation); and I love this aspect of the film.The film revolves around a few main characters: the man who comically tries to kill himself over and over, only to be interrupted at the most (in)opportune times; the painter who stalks him throughout the film, but who may also be his only chance at love; the real estate agent and her cop husband whose ideals have somehow drifted apart; and a hometown girl who has recently returned to town with her adolescent (and sexually coveted daughter, perhaps returning because of her sexual antics everywhere else they have lived. While each of these characters is certainly a "type," and has their moment of stereotypical comic relief, I was impressed at how director Daniel MacIvor showed the roots in reality for each stereotype, and allowed each Jungian type to have depth and a moment that ran against expectation.The cast, as well, was fabulous. Sandra Oh is amazing at playing a together woman with another side. Rebecca Jenkins showed real sorrow beneath smuttiness. Even the actors playing the gay characters had moments of real transcendence, even though the suffering man in the closet and the lonely man chasing him theme has been played out before.People walked out of this screening, so the film is obviously not for everyone. For me, however, it was a true tribute to the underlying humanity that brings messed up people together for the highest good.

I saw this movie at the Calgary International Film Festival. Based on the description of the film and a cast with several quality actors to draw (particularly Sandra Oh), I was optimistic. However, seeing the film, I was sorely let down. The characters each were given a problem which was pretty much token, and not really explored in any depth. Character development beyond each issue (one per character, no more, no less) was sorely missing. Frankly, the writing was of high school creative writing quality at best, and the soundtrack was another glaring weak spot. (How long was the song over the opening credits?) (My sincere apologies to the film makers - I don't mean to trash the film but I was severely disappointed).