Educational but overwrought, film doesn\u0027t trust the power of the story
Though his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, and he was released on parole after 10 years, Truscott remained a convicted murderer until 2007, when the Ontario Court of Appeal acquitted him of the charges, issued an apology and offered compensation for the time he served.Recommendation for Mercy. Ann-Marie MacDonald fictionalized it in her 2003 novel, a 2007 play that was nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award.
“I can’t let you go to your grave a convicted murderer!” Booth shouts in one of the early scenes. Later we see Stone literally dancing in a field of leaves on news that Truscott has been released from prison. She also has a habit of breaking down while swimming, reacting to flashbacks that we see on the screen but which were presumably not visible in the water.
It’s certainly an uplifting story, though its final note is soured somewhat by the reminder that the actual killer was never found. But there’s enough natural drama and suspense here without the awkward, mawkish push given to it by the filmmakers, who don’t seem to trust it to move forward under its own power.
Marlene opens April 8 in Toronto, Guelph, Calgary and Edmonton; and April 15 in Saskatoon and Regina.
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