Still Mine (2012)

Directed by: Michael McGowan
Country: Canada

Movie Review: Considering that “Still Mine” is a drama based on true events, I was afraid that it could fall into the usual dramatic tricks, but fortunately and for my surprise, Michael McGowan managed this aspect very well, avoiding that type of risky situations. The story is much more meaningful than it would seem at first,  addressing old age, sickness, and death, with a strong determination. But do not be mistaken, because the approach here nothing has to do with anger, revolt, or despair. On the contrary, it uses a relaxing pace with warm tones of intimacy and affection to show how to face difficulties with temperance, and not giving up so easily at the first adversity that may come. The plot basically consists in the struggle of 87-year-old Craig Morrison (James Cromwell) with the bureaucratic authorities of New Brunswick, after he decided to build a new house in his own terrain that was more functional for his wife Irene (Geneviève Bujold) who suffered from a degenerative disease. What I liked most in “Still Mine” was the honest way chosen to deal with the subject matter. McGowan just took time for what was really important to tell the story, appealing to our feelings in a natural way, and addressing it with objectivity, sensibility, and simplicity. That is what makes it better than other similar films like “Unfinished Song” or the Norwegian “Chasing The Wind”, which use the same old grumpy characters who inevitably change along the way without much surprise.