Marion Bridge

Wiebke von Carolsfeld, who has cooperated with Jeremy Podeswa (The Five Senses) and Renny Bartlett (Eisenstein), now makes her own début with a moving drama set in post-industrial Nova Scotia on the Atlantic east coast of Canada. She does justice to the beautiful story, not lastly thanks to the powerful actresses, led by the versatile and hard-working actress Molly Parker. In the minute gestures that belong with apparently suppressed memories and in the mechanisms of forgiving and understanding within families Von Carolsfeld displays great insight into human capacities and weaknesses.Agnes, the youngest of three sisters, returns to her parental home in the remote village of Sydney after a destructive period in her life. Her chain-smoking and hard-drinking mother is severely ill, but Agnes wants to settle some painful matters from her past. Her eldest sister, the pious Catholic Theresa, is divorced and bitter, the middle one is a bit of a good-for-nothing. Neither wants to dredge up old family secrets and distrust the about-turn in their sister’s life. They seem to be proven right when Agnes starts drinking again and starts making lonely long journeys. She also becomes interested in a 15-year-old girl, Joanie, who has her own problems.