I grew up in Cape Breton, my life revolved around the hazardous waste site there and still does. However there was a time when Cape Breton's industry of coal mining and steel-making wasn't considered dangerous. This film tells of a high school boy, struggling with the Great Depression, the idea of his parents sending his mentally challenged brother to a mental institution, girls and his conflicting thoughts of following his mother's wishes in becoming a priest. His dad has built a bootleg coal mine under their house in Glace Bay, allowing secret money for the family, but after the brother dies suddenly things become sad and more complicated than ever. An eccentric and badly-reputed teenage girl shows up, and one night the boy witnesses a murder, sending off a chain of dramatic events.
To a lot of people this film would be boring. However, if you grew up in or frequently visited Cape Breton, you know it's a unique place. This film captured Cape Breton's industrial look just around the time of the local steel mill's economic decline in the 80's, and it's fun to point out as you watch it, "hey, I've been there!" To parents, DON'T LET YOUR KIDS SEE THIS FILM. It is by no means a bad film but there are several adult themes and scenes such as the main character "sleeping" with his girlfriend and almost being molested by a priest.
All in all a worthwhile movie, also if you're into Cape Breton's industrial scenery, try the 1981 Sydney Mines slasher, My Bloody Valentine.
To a lot of people this film would be boring. However, if you grew up in or frequently visited Cape Breton, you know it's a unique place. This film captured Cape Breton's industrial look just around the time of the local steel mill's economic decline in the 80's, and it's fun to point out as you watch it, "hey, I've been there!" To parents, DON'T LET YOUR KIDS SEE THIS FILM. It is by no means a bad film but there are several adult themes and scenes such as the main character "sleeping" with his girlfriend and almost being molested by a priest.
All in all a worthwhile movie, also if you're into Cape Breton's industrial scenery, try the 1981 Sydney Mines slasher, My Bloody Valentine.