Still Mine

Based on a true story, this touching tale of devotion speaks to both the heart and the mind. Joining the ranks of Away From Her, Quartet and Amour, this film about the vicissitudes of aging is set in rural St. Martins, New Brunswick (in Canada's Maritime provinces), home to Craig Morrison (James Cromwell), an 89-year-old cattle-rancher, and his beloved wife, Irene (Genevieve Bujold), who is growing frailer by the day and is no longer able to cope with living in the old, two-story farmhouse where they raised seven children. To care for her properly, Craig starts to build a smaller, more comfortable cottage nearby, on part of the 2,000 acres he owns, overlooking the Bay of Fundy. Although he mills his own old-growth spruce and was trained as a carpenter by his shipbuilding father, Craig gets blindsided by an overzealous local bureaucrat (Jonathan Potts). Accused of 26 alleged “violations” of the new National Building Code, he must appear before a judge to plead his case. In a meticulously crafted, tour de force performance, guided by writer-director Michael McGowan, Cromwell exhibits an irresistible mixture of insight and tender uncertainty, while Bujold ably exudes emotional vulnerability. Campbell Scott, George R. Robertson, Julie Stewart, and Rick Roberts also shine in supporting roles. A sentimental but also inspirational film, this is recommended. (S. Granger)