The Hanging Garden (1997)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Thom Fitzgerald

Writer:

Thom Fitzgerald (writer)

Release Date:

7 November 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

It's hard to go home... ten years after your death.

Plot:

William, a once obese and troubled teen, goes back to his family's home after being gone, without word...

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Wedding | Sex | Homosexual Teenager | Wedding Bouquet

Awards:

20 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Ian Parsons	...	Little Sweet William
Peter MacNeill	...	Whiskey Mac
Troy Veinotte	...	Teen Sweet William
Kerry Fox	...	Rosemary
Mark Austin	...	Preacher
Joel S. Keller	...	Fletcher
Heather Rankin	...	Black-Eyed Susan
Christine Dunsworth	...	Violet
Seana McKenna	...	Iris
Joan Orenstein	...	Grace
Chris Leavins	...	Sweet William
Ashley MacIsaac	...	Basil--Fiddler
Jocelyn Cunningham	...	Laurel
Jim Faraday	...	Mr. MacDougal
Sarah Polley	...	Teen Rosemary

Also Known As:

Le jardin suspendu (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, language, and a scene of a hanging, and some teen drug use.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company:

Alliance Communications Corporation

Quotes:

Teen Rosemary: [to her brother William:] Could you get dressed, Willie, I wanna get out of here.
Grace: Where ya goin'?
Teen Sweet William: There's a stupid dance at school.
Grace: You goin' to a dance? Oh, dear God in heaven!
[to granddaughter Rosemary]
Grace: Now, you know to count to six?
Teen Rosemary: What?
Grace: If you're gonna kiss a boy, you got to count to six while you're doin' it. And then stop! After six it's a sin.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) (TV)

Opulent

Sometimes overly poetic in its gardening parallels, this story of a young man who returns to home after a number of years is intense, mysterious, and certainly not lacking in style. In a unique mixture of flashback fantasy sequences, where characters in the past actually interact with those in the present, we see an overweight teenager come to grips with his homosexuality and the returning adult come to grips with his childhood self.

This is an amazing directorial debut, and the abundance of cinematic tricks are a welcome storytelling tool. Virgin Mary Icons smile at us; a grown man witnesses the suicide he committed in his youth.

The director chooses not to draw thick boundaries around the sexuality of his characters, but doesn't fall into the trap of making them frustratingly ambiguous. Often this leaves the sour aftertaste of homophobia.

The mysterious final chapter closes without the pomp and glory that more established directors might have resorted to. It's subtlety complements its outlandishness in a way that doesn't leave you confused.