contemporary world cinema for salmon arm |
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Love and Savagery
Country:
Canada/Ireland
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From Canadian director John N. Smith, comes Love and Savagery , an exploration of love, lust and spirituality and how the three don't necessarily mix well together. This gripping love story was written by Newfoundland poet and screenwriter, Des Walsh, who collaborated with Smith on The Boys of St. Vincent and is inspired by Walsh's 1989 book of poetry Love and Savagery . The film is set in 1969 mostly in County Clare, Ireland, though the way life unfolds in this village, it could just as easily be 1869. Michael McCarthy (Allan Hawco), a budding geologist and poet, has made the trek from his native Newfoundland to County Clare to study the region's unique limestone formations, known as the Burren. But it's not just these rocks that catch Michael's fancy. Things get complicated for this Newfoundlander when he falls hard for the waitress at the hotel where he's staying. Cathleen O'Connell (Sarah Greene) initially tries to rebuff his advances and it's soon clear that most of the village would rather this Canadian keep his distance from the young woman. She finally breaks the news to Michael that she's committed to a life in the nunnery, a choice he refuses to accept. What is intriguing in the film is the way Smith and Walsh underline the grey areas in the conflict. Cathleen does want to devote her life to God but she can't deny the intensity of her feelings for Michael, and Michael is, in some ways, insensitive both to her choice and to the culture of her village. Smith has an extraordinary ability to bring the best out of his actors. Hawco is convincing as the rather hard-headed poet, but it's newcomer Greene who takes this film to another level. She's a force of nature—beautiful, expressive and impossible to keep your eyes off. "Montreal cinematographer Pierre Letarte does a great job of capturing the landscapes of Ireland and Newfoundland, neatly emphasizing the similarities between the Emerald Isle and The Rock.” Kelly, The Montreal Gazette |
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