The Hanging Garden

Writer/director Thom Fitzgerald's harrowing, hilarious first feature stars Chris Leavins as Sweet William, a young gay man who returns to his Cape Breton childhood home for the wedding of his sister Rosemary (Shallow Grave's Kerry Fox) to his former paramour, Fletcher (gorgeous carrot-top Joel Keller). At first, William suffers all with calm detachment: his father's alcoholism, his mother's martyrdom, Rosemary's cynicism, Fletcher's flirtation, his grandmother's senility, even the obnoxious kid sister he has never seen before. But he's haunted by visions of the past, finally confronting dark family secrets that have waited a decade for his return. The film's centerpiece is the recurring specter of William's obese teenage self hanging from an apple tree in the garden -- and he is shocked to learn that others can see it too.

This tale of a dysfunctional family transcends mere tear-jerking with its odd alchemy of magic realism and complex, subtle performances. Fitzgerald's lush visual style, awash in color and floral imagery, evokes the palettes of Peter Greenaway and Derek Jarman, but without their esoteric chill. An eclectic soundtrack by Celtic artists like Ashley MacIsaac and the Rankin Family adds raw nostalgia. Already studded with awards in Canada, Fitzgerald's self-assured debut promises excitement ahead for a fledgling Nova Scotia cinema. At the Kendall Square.

-- Peg Aloi