The High Cost of Living

The High Cost Of Living

I want to be supportive of Canadian films. This film won an award at the Toronto Film Festival for the best Canadian first feature. It almost makes it but not quite. The film had a good story but I came away feeling less that totally satisfied. The film takes place in Montreal.

Henry (Zach Braff) looks sleazy, sexy and unkempt in his role of a drug dealer in Montreal. By accident he knocks down a pregnant woman on her way to the hospital.

Nathalie (Isabelle Blais) is the young pregnant woman. Her husband always seems to be busy at meetings and other activities. She can’t reach him when she begins her labor pains and sets out alone for the hospital. She survives the accident but the baby is to be a still birth. Nathalie becomes morose and cannot forgive her husband.

Henry suffers guilt and sets out to find Nathalie. So far I found the story very gripping. Henry buys gifts and offers Nathalie a sanctuary when she leaves her husband. At this point I just couldn’t accept the premise that this woman carrying a dead baby would move in with this unkempt stranger. Henry is so kind and generous to her but after all he is a stranger.

This is a story of grief and coming to turns with it. It is also a story of making up for a bad mistake. Both key players do a fine job but the picture doesn’t quite make the grade.