Small Town Murder Songs

Last updated
Small Town Murder Songs
Small town murder songs.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly
Written byEd Gass-Donnelly
Produced byLee Kim
Ed Gass-Donnelly
Starring
Cinematography Brendan Steacy
Edited byEd Gass-Donnelly
Music by Bruce Peninsula
Production
companies
3 Legged Dog Films
Resolute Films and Entertainment
Distributed byKinosmith
(Canada)
Monterey Media
(United States)
Release dates
  • September 14, 2010 (2010-09-14)(TIFF)
  • May 26, 2011 (2011-05-26)(United States)
Running time
76 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguagesEnglish
Low German
Box office$30,858

Small Town Murder Songs is a 2010 Canadian neo-noir crime film directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2010. The film is written by Gass-Donnelly, produced by Gass-Donnelly and Lee Kim, and stars Peter Stormare, Jill Hennessy, and Martha Plimpton.

Contents

Small Town Murder Songs was shot in Conestogo Lake, Listowel, Baden, Ontario and Palmerston in Ontario, Canada. [1]

The film has been given a limited theatrical release in the United States beginning on May 26, 2011.

Plot

"A modern, gothic tale of crime and redemption about an aging police officer from a small Ontario Mennonite town who hides a violent past until a local murder upsets the calm of his newly reformed life."

Stephen Holden, writing for The New York Times , explained the story:

Ed Gass-Donnelly's rural crime drama, Small Town Murder Songs, punctures the veneer of bucolic quiet in a mostly Mennonite farming community in Ontario. Beneath a deceptive calm, it uncovers a core of fear and loathing as ominous as the backwoods world of Winter's Bone . The protagonist, Walter (Peter Stormare), is a stocky, middle-aged policeman whose violent past has made him a local pariah... Walter's newfound equilibrium is put to the test when the body of a young woman is found near a lake. It is the town's first murder in decades. The 911 phone call reporting the discovery is quickly traced to Rita, who lies to the police when questioned and insists that her new lover, Steve (Stephen Eric McIntyre), was with her on the evening of the crime. The investigation quickly reveals that Steve and the victim were both seen that night at a nearby strip club. [2]

Cast

Release

Monterey Media acquired the United States distribution rights in 2011. [3] The limited United States theatrical release began at the O-Cinema in Wynwood, Miami, Florida. [4] Monterey Media release the film on DVD in July 2011. [5]

Festivals

Small Town Murder Songs was selected at the following film festivals:

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 79%, based on reviews from 19 critics, with an average score of 6.07/10. [9] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 66 out of 100, based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [10]

Stephen Cole from The Globe and Mail wrote a positive review, saying, "STMS succeeds as an Ontario Gothic mood piece". [11] Michael Rechtshafen of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Small Town Murder Songs is "An effective ensemble backed by a bracingly haunting soundtrack" after its screening at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival; he also saw similarities with Winter's Bone and found "much to admire about this carefully drawn but concise character sketch, especially the strong performances and a unique, affectingly ominous score by folk-rock-gospel outfit Bruce Peninsula... The already dense ambience gets progressively heavier as the investigation continues, with Gass-Donnelly keeping a tight grip on the artful compositions. But as strong as those visuals are, what really ends up lingering long after the lights come up, is that Greek chorus of a soundtrack, its fire-and-brimstone, gothic-tinged take on traditional and original spirituals packing an unsettling, pious punch." [12]

Dustin Hucks with Ain't It Cool News also saw the film at The Santa Barbara International Film Festival and said, "Small Town Murder Songs is definitely a winner in the stable of films showing at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival this year". [13] Holden of the New York Times wrote that the film "is not really a whodunit but a character study of a man squeezed in a psychological, spiritual and professional vise... Small Town Murder Songs is compellingly acted from top to bottom. As the raw passions of its hard-bitten characters seep into you, the songs hammer them even more deeply into your consciousness. The film's only flaw — a big one — is its brevity. When it ends after 76 minutes, you are left wishing it had included Walter's back story and had offered a more detailed picture of the town." [2]

Shannon from Movie Moxie had wonderful things to say about the film: "The powerful score sets an impressive and all-encompassing atmosphere to the film". [14] Robert Bell from Exclaim! had pleasant things to say about the film, stating that there were "some impressive cinematography and an understanding of tone through stillness and minor stylization make for a pleasant experience aesthetically". [15] Howard Feinstein from Screen Daily praised writer/director Gass-Donnelly: "Ed Gass-Donnelly makes appropriate, unpretentiously artful, stylistic choices in this tale of redemption". [16]

Alison Willmore of The A.V. Club , gave the film a grade B, with particular praise for the songs: "Who's responsible for the killing is never much of a mystery in Small Town Murder Songs; there are no dark conspiracies, only dark natures. The tension instead focuses on whether Stormare will be able to rein himself in when the investigation inexorably pulls him toward his old life. Everyone is so restrained, their turmoil buried so deep, that the depth of what they're feeling has to be excavated from what's left unsaid." [17]

Awards

It won Best Feature at the 2011 Santa Catalina Film Festival and won Fipresci Critic’s Prize Best Film at the 2010 Torino International Film Festival.

Martha Plimpton won Best Actress at the 2010 Whistler International Film Festival for her performance in this film. Ed Gass-Donnelly won World Cinema Director at the 2011 Phoenix Film Festival.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Plimpton</span> American actress (born 1970)

Martha Plimpton is an American actress and member of the Carradine family. Her feature-film debut was in Rollover (1981); she subsequently rose to prominence in the Richard Donner film The Goonies (1985). She has also appeared in The Mosquito Coast (1986), Shy People (1987), Running on Empty (1988), Parenthood (1989), Samantha (1991), Small Town Murder Songs (2011), Frozen II (2019), and Mass (2021).

<i>The Slaughter Rule</i> 2002 American film by Alex Smith

The Slaughter Rule is a 2002 American coming of age sports drama film directed by Alex Smith and Andrew J. Smith and starring Ryan Gosling and David Morse. The film, set in contemporary Montana, explores the relationship between a small-town high school football player (Gosling), and his troubled coach (Morse). The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Barbara International Film Festival</span> Annual film festival held in Santa Barbara, USA

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California in February annually, since 1986. The festival screens over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. SBIFF also includes celebrity tributes, industry panels and education programs.

<i>Olympic Garage</i> 1999 [[Cinema of Argentina|Argentina]] film

Olympic Garage is a 1999 Argentine political thriller, directed by Marco Bechis.

<i>The Sweet Hereafter</i> (film) 1997 film

The Sweet Hereafter is a 1997 Canadian drama film written and directed by Atom Egoyan, adapted from the 1991 novel by Russell Banks. It tells the story of a school bus accident in a small town that kills 14 children. A class-action lawsuit ensues, proving divisive in the community and becoming tied with personal and family issues. It stars an ensemble cast featuring Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Maury Chaykin, Bruce Greenwood, Tom McCamus, Gabrielle Rose, Arsinée Khanjian and Alberta Watson.

<i>Dantes Inferno</i> (2007 film) 2007 American film

Dante's Inferno is a 2007 comedy film performed with hand-drawn paper puppets on a theater stage. The film was adapted from the book "Dante's Inferno" by Sandow Birk and Marcus Sanders, a modern update of the canticle Inferno from Dante Alighieri's epic poem Divine Comedy. The film chronicles Dante's journeys through the underworld, guided by Virgil. The head puppeteer was Paul Zaloom and the puppets were designed by Elyse Pignolet and drawn by Sandow Birk. The film premiered January 20, 2007 at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival. The film has also been shown at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Silver Lake Film Festival, the Boston Underground Film Festival, and on the Ovation TV cable network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Gass-Donnelly</span> Canadian film director, film editor, screenwriter and film producer

Ed Gass-Donnelly is a Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. His first full-length film, This Beautiful City, was released in 2008 and nominated for four Genies at the 29th Genie Awards. In January 2011 Gass-Donnelly was selected as one of the top ten film makers to watch by Variety.

The Santa Monica Film Festival & Moxie Awards is an annual film series and awards show held in Santa Monica, California, United States.

Ibiza International Film Festival is an independent cinema event which takes place every spring on the Island[Sponsors were John Hurt, Terry Gilliam, Sir Alan Parker, Bigas Luna and Ángela Molina. At the 2nd edition of the Festival, Nacho Cano and Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi joined as Sponsors and José Manuel Lorenzo assumed the role of President of the Consulting Committee.

<i>Puzzle</i> (2010 film) 2018 film

Puzzle is a 2010 Argentine drama film directed by Natalia Smirnoff. It was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>Eye of God</i> (film) 1997 American crime film

Eye of God is a 1997 crime drama film written and directed by Tim Blake Nelson and adapted from his stage play of the same name. It stars Martha Plimpton, Kevin Anderson, Nick Stahl, and Hal Holbrook. The film follows two plot lines which are revealed to be connected in a nonlinear narrative.

<i>Enemies of the People</i> (film) 2009 British-Cambodian documentary film

Enemies of the People is a 2009 British-Cambodian documentary film written and directed by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath. The film depicts the 10-year quest of co-director Sambath to find truth and closure in the Killing Fields of Cambodia. The film features interviews of former Khmer Rouge officials from the most senior surviving leader to the men and women who slit throats during the regime of Democratic Kampuchea between 1975 and 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergio Navarretta</span> Canadian film director

Sergio Navarretta is a Canadian film director who draws inspiration from Italian cinema. Navarretta is best known for The Cuban and his first feature film, Looking for Angelina, based on the true-life story of Angelina Napolitano. The International Women of the World in Bologna, Italy, presented Navarretta with a special award on September 18, 2010, for his work on Looking for Angelina. Navarretta is a co-founder of S.N.A.P. Films Inc., along with his partner Alessandra Piccione.

The 28th Torino Film Festival was held in 2010 in Turin, Italy. The festival jury included Marco Bellocchio, Barbora Bobuľová, Michel Ciment, Helmut Grasser and Joe R. Lansdale.

<i>Once Upon a Time in Anatolia</i> 2011 Turkish film

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is a 2011 internationally co-produced drama film, co-written and directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan based on the true experience of one of the film's writers, telling the story of a group of men who search for a dead body on the Anatolian steppe. The film, which went on nationwide general release across Turkey on 23 September 2011, premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where it was a co-winner of the Grand Prix.

The Catalina Film Festival is an annual event that takes place at the end of September on Catalina Island, situated in Los Angeles County within the city of Avalon, California.

<i>Bang Bang Baby</i> 2014 Canadian musical sci-fi film

Bang Bang Baby is a Canadian musical science-fiction film written and directed by Jeffrey St. Jules, which premiered in 2014 at Toronto International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Lalonde</span> Canadian filmmaker

Jeremy LaLonde is a Canadian filmmaker. He is known for his work in Canadian film and television.

Cinema of Sleep is a 2021 Canadian psychological thriller film, directed by Jeffrey St. Jules. The film stars Dayo Ade as Anthony, a Nigerian refugee staying in a motel room while he waits for his asylum claim to be processed, who wakes up from a strange dream in which he is watching a film of himself being arrested for murdering a woman, only to find the woman from his dream actually dead in bed next to him.

Coyote is a Canadian drama film, directed by Katherine Jerkovic and released in 2022. The film stars Jorge Martinez Colorado as Camilo, a Mexican immigrant to Canada who is rebuilding his life as a chef in La Malbaie, Quebec, who finds his plan complicated when his adult daughter Tania shows up needing his help to care for her son while she enters recovery for her drug addiction problems.

References

  1. ↑ "Small Town Murder Songs". IMDb. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  2. 1 2 Holden, Stephen (June 30, 2011). "Violence Close at Hand Shakes a Bucolic Setting". The New York Times . Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  3. ↑ Smith, Nigel M. (29 March 2011). "Small Town Murder Songs". IndieWire . Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  4. ↑ "Small Town Murder Songs". O-Cinema. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "New Release Small Town Murder Songs DVD". DiscDish. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  6. ↑ "Catalina Film Festival". Santa Catalina Film Festival. 27 May 2011.
  7. ↑ "Phoenix Film Festival 2011 Copper Wing Award Winners" (PDF). Phoenix Film Festival. 7 April 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2011.
  8. ↑ "Whistler Film Festival Winners". Whistler Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05.
  9. ↑ "Small Town Murder Songs". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  10. ↑ "Small Town Murder Songs". Metacritic . Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  11. ↑ Cole, Stephen (18 February 2011). "Small Town Murder Songs". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  12. ↑ Rechtshaffen, Michael (7 February 2011). "Small Town Murder Songs". The Hollywood Reporter . Los Angeles: Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  13. ↑ Hucks, Dustin. "Small Town Murder Songs". Ain't It Cool News . Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  14. ↑ Shannon. "Small Town Murder Songs". Movie Moxie. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  15. ↑ Bell, Robert. "Small Town Murder Songs". Exclaim . Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  16. ↑ Feinstein, Howard. "Small Town Murder Songs". Screen Daily . Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  17. ↑ Willmore, Alison (June 30, 2011). "Small Town Murder Songs". The A.V. Club . Retrieved January 2, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.