A Wake

A Wake

This film comes close to being a good film. I understand that much of the dialog was written by the cast. Maybe that is the problem. Some of the acting was a trifle ’over the top.’

I am still a sucker for a Canadian film. They need all the help they can get. The idea was quite creative. A theatre director is dying. He requests that his wife arrange a special wake. The members of his theatre group are to do a reading of the play, Hamlet. Apparently they never did produce that play. The reading is to be filmed and played at his memorial. I kind of like the idea,

The cast all gathers at the widow’s home and the shenanigans begin. There is a lot of sleeping around. There are arguments over who had affairs with the dead director. There are arguments over who is going to stay in which room.

As the film progresses we begin to see the characters develop and we get to know them better.

I do question if they needed to film in the bathroom. Is it irony or silliness that the director’s son arrives unsuspected? He becomes the director of the film. I almost laughed out loud when one of the characters has sex with this young son. You could say it was not believable.

The credits state that it was filmed in Cambridge. I loved the big country home. The cinematography of the winter covered countryside was beautiful. I must say it was a total contrast to the activity taking place in the house.

There is a theatrical surprising ending.

Some good Canadian talent performs in the film. Nicholas Campbell and Martha Burns should stick to Stratford.

The film was chosen as best feature at the Carmel Arts and Film Festival and best film at the Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto. All that proves is that someone has a different point of view than I do.