James Cromwell and Geneviève Bujold are superb, separately and together, as Craig and Irene Morrison in this film is based on events that were covered in newspapers under headlines such as, "All I wanted to do is build a house."
In rural New Brunswick, an elderly couple live in their old farmhouse. Irene is suffering progressive cognitive decline, so Craig takes care of them both. Their children are grown, but two live close by, and Craig firmly deflects their interference. Their daughter, a well-meaning nag, insists that he isn't up to taking care of "my mother." Their son, a more sensitive and supportive soul, reminds her, "She's his wife."
They are no longer capable of raising cattle, but they still have chickens, and Craig is strong and healthy for his age. He's also a skilled builder, who learned carpentry from his father, a shipwright. He decides to build a one-story house for them because Irene will soon need a walker. He chooses a site on high ground, overlooking the bay, a view she always wanted.
As the frame rises, the town notices. Enter the bureaucracy: plans and permits, fees and inspectors. Craig quietly points out that there are hundreds of homes in town, standing and occupied, that were built a century or more ago, before permits. His building expertise is considerable, especially regarding seasoned pine, and his dialog with the inspector is a treat-- but it falls on deaf ears. A "stop work" order is issued, and ignored. As Irene declines, mentally and physically, Craig continues building, with his lawyer (Campbell Scott) running interference. But he ends up in court; jail is threatened.
I've been programmed to expect disasters to happen in movies, to amp up the action. No disasters here, nor anything mawkishly sentimental. Just dignity, persistence, and common sense pitted against the brick-wall bureaucracy. Tall and graceful as ever, James Cromwell is in very nearly every scene, which makes the movie a pleasure to watch. When the aged beauty Geneviève Bujold joins him in the frame, that pleasure only deepens.
In rural New Brunswick, an elderly couple live in their old farmhouse. Irene is suffering progressive cognitive decline, so Craig takes care of them both. Their children are grown, but two live close by, and Craig firmly deflects their interference. Their daughter, a well-meaning nag, insists that he isn't up to taking care of "my mother." Their son, a more sensitive and supportive soul, reminds her, "She's his wife."
They are no longer capable of raising cattle, but they still have chickens, and Craig is strong and healthy for his age. He's also a skilled builder, who learned carpentry from his father, a shipwright. He decides to build a one-story house for them because Irene will soon need a walker. He chooses a site on high ground, overlooking the bay, a view she always wanted.
As the frame rises, the town notices. Enter the bureaucracy: plans and permits, fees and inspectors. Craig quietly points out that there are hundreds of homes in town, standing and occupied, that were built a century or more ago, before permits. His building expertise is considerable, especially regarding seasoned pine, and his dialog with the inspector is a treat-- but it falls on deaf ears. A "stop work" order is issued, and ignored. As Irene declines, mentally and physically, Craig continues building, with his lawyer (Campbell Scott) running interference. But he ends up in court; jail is threatened.
I've been programmed to expect disasters to happen in movies, to amp up the action. No disasters here, nor anything mawkishly sentimental. Just dignity, persistence, and common sense pitted against the brick-wall bureaucracy. Tall and graceful as ever, James Cromwell is in very nearly every scene, which makes the movie a pleasure to watch. When the aged beauty Geneviève Bujold joins him in the frame, that pleasure only deepens.