All My Puny Sorrows (film)

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All My Puny Sorrows
All My Puny Sorrows poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael McGowan
Written byMichael McGowan
Based on All My Puny Sorrows
by Miriam Toews
Produced by
  • Michael McGowan
  • Patrice Theroux
  • Tyler Levine
  • Katelyn Cursio
Starring
Cinematography Daniel Grant
Edited by
Music by Jonathan Goldsmith
Production
companies
  • Mulmur Feed Co.
  • Sugar Shack Productions
  • Carousel Pictures
Distributed by Mongrel Media
Release dates
  • September 10, 2021 (2021-09-10)(TIFF)
  • April 15, 2022 (2022-04-15)(Canada)
Running time
103 minutes [1]
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million

All My Puny Sorrows is a 2021 Canadian drama film written, produced, and directed by Michael McGowan serving as an adaptation of the 2014 novel of the same name by Miriam Toews. It stars Alison Pill and Sarah Gadon as two Mennonite sisters who leave their religious lives behind. Amybeth McNulty, Mare Winningham, Donal Logue, and Aly Mawji also star in supporting roles, with Mongrel Media set to distribute the film. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2021, and was released in theaters in Canada on April 15, 2022. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Contents

Plot

Yolandi "Yoli" Von Riesen, a single mother, and unsuccessful author, receives a call that her sister, Elfrieda "Elf" Von Riesen, a successful concert pianist, has attempted suicide. The Von Riesen's have a history of suicide as their father successfully killed himself years earlier.

Yoli attempts to be supportive but when Elf begs her to take her to Switzerland so that she can have Assisted suicide Yoli grows angry and berates Elf for drowning in pain when she has a perfect life.

Yoli and Elf's aunt, Tina, has to go the hospital for surgery. While there Yoli tells Elf she has been looking into Switzerland but Elf tells her it is time to move away from that idea. Against Yoli's wishes Elf is released from the hospital.

Tina dies. Later, while out with her daughter, Yoli learns that Elf has died by jumping in front of a train, the same way their father chose to end his life.

The life insurance payout from Elf's death is enough to buy a house in Toronto and finish her latest book.

Cast

Production

In December 2020, All My Puny Sorrows began filming in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in North Bay, Ontario. [2] With a cast composed of Alison Pill, Sarah Gadon, Amybeth McNulty, Mare Winningham, Donal Logue, and Aly Mawji, filming wrapped that same month on December 16. [3] Shot on a $5 million budget, the project was financed by multiple funding companies, including Telefilm Canada, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, and CBC Films. [3] Jonathan Goldsmith composed the score for the film. [4]

Release

The film premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, in the Special Presentations program. [5] It was also screened as the opening film of the 2021 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival and the 2021 Calgary International Film Festival. [6] [7]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 73% of 40 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A well-meaning but flawed adaptation of its source material, All My Puny Sorrows benefits from Alison Pill's searing performance." [8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 59 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [9]

Accolades

The Toronto International Film Festival listed the film in its annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2021. [10]

Accolades received by All My Puny Sorrows
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Canadian Screen Awards April 10, 2022 Best Art Direction / Production Design Danny Haeberlin Nominated [11]
Best Cinematography Daniel Grant Nominated
Best Editing Michelle Szemberg and Orlee Buium Won
Best Original Score Jonathan Goldsmith Won
Best Casting in a Film Heidi LevittNominated
Best Sound Mixing Joe Morrow, Lou Solakofski, Jonathan St. Clair, and Thomas DubeNominated
Best Sound Editing Martin Gwynn Jones, Brent Pickett, Jane Tattersall, and Brennan MercerNominated
Best Visual Effects Alex BoothbyNominated
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival October 3, 2021 Outstanding Canadian FeatureAll My Puny SorrowsWon [12]
Directors Guild of Canada October 23, 2021Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film Michael McGowan Nominated [13]
Best Picture Editing – Feature FilmMichelle Szemberg and Orlee BuiumWon
Best Sound Editing - Feature FilmJane Tattersall, Martin Gwynn Jones, Brennan Mercer, Sue Fawcett, and Brent PickettWon
Festival du Film Canadien de DieppeMarch 30, 2022Best Film Michael McGowan Won [14]
Best Actress Alison Pill Won
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards March 7, 2022 Best Canadian Film All My Puny SorrowsWon [15]
Best Director of a Canadian Film Michael McGowan Nominated [16]
Best Screenplay for a Canadian Film Michael McGowan Won [15]
Best Actress in a Canadian Film Alison Pill Won
Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film Sarah Gadon Won

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References

  1. ↑ "All My Puny Sorrows". Toronto International Film Festival . Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  2. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (December 2, 2020). "'All My Puny Sorrows': Alison Pill, Sarah Gadon, Amybeth McNulty & Mare Winningham Lead Canadian Drama, Voltage Boards Sales". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Malyk, Lauren (December 3, 2020). "Michael McGowan rolls on All My Puny Sorrows". Playback . Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Jonathan Goldsmith Scoring Michael McGowan's 'All My Puny Sorrows'". Film Music Reporter. September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  5. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 20, 2021). "2021 Toronto Festival Unveils 'Dear Evan Hansen' As Opening Night Premiere; Check Out First Slated Films". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  6. ↑ Ulrichsen, Heidi (August 26, 2021). "Cinéfest still presenting hybrid festival for 2021, but trying to restore some normalcy". Sudbury.com . Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  7. ↑ Volmers, Eric (August 12, 2021). "All My Puny Sorrows to open Calgary International Film Festival". Calgary Herald . Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  8. ↑ "All My Puny Sorrows". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  9. ↑ "All My Puny Sorrows". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  10. ↑ Norman Wilner, "TIFF announces Canada’s Top Ten films of 2021" Archived December 6, 2021, at the Wayback Machine . Now , December 6, 2021.
  11. ↑ Furdyk, Brent (February 15, 2022). "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, Sort Of & Scarborough Lead The Pack". Entertainment Tonight Canada . Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  12. ↑ Macdonald, Donald (October 3, 2021). "Sudbury entertainment briefs: New novel; Cinefest awards". The Sudbury Star . Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  13. ↑ Kelly Townsend, "All My Puny Sorrows leads film nominees for 2021 DGC Awards". Playback , September 24, 2021.
  14. ↑ "The Quebec film The contemplation of the mystery awarded in France". Fair Ground Circus. March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. 1 2 Dana Gee, "The Power of the Dog named year's best feature by Vancouver Film Critics Circle". Vancouver Sun , March 8, 2022.
  16. ↑ Dana Gee (February 20, 2022). "The Power of the Dog, Night Raiders lead Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards nominations". Vancouver Sun . Retrieved February 20, 2022.
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