#MUFFApproved TIFF 2017: Cardinals
Neighbourhood tensions to the extreme
Dir. Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley
Starring: Sheila McCarthy, Katie Boland, Grace Glowicki
Have you ever watched a movie, seen a character, and felt like you immediately knew them? That happened to me when I watched Cardinals. It could be just a White, southern Ontario thing, but I have met many women similar to Valerie Walker in my life.
Canadian acting legend and goddess Sheila McCarthy always delivers a fantastic performance, and her role as Valerie is no exception. The character has this understated passion boiling underneath the surface that McCarthy plays so well. She’s a devoted and loving mother before anything else, and she carries no shame for what she’s done for the protection of her kids.
Valerie is very strong and reminds me of a lot of some women I know (they haven’t killed anyone or gone to prison, but the devotion for defending friends/family is there). However, the urge for preservation leads Valerie to make decisions without consulting her family and yields more strife.
Even if her intentions are good and her point of view is clear, there are negative consequences that affect everyone — specifically her daughters. She made her eldest, Eleanor (Katie Boland), lie for over a decade and kept tons of secrets from the youngest, Zoe (Grace Glowicki). And in the end, they have to pay for her choices. All that effort for their safety meant nothing in the end.
And Boland is absolutely amazing opposite McCarthy. There’s so much said with them avoiding a single subject, and it’s what moves the plot forward. Elenore has so much shit thrust upon her (even before the narrative of the movie starts). When she asks her mother “when do I get to talk about my rape,” that really got me. I understood that pain. She had to ignore this horrible event in her life so her mother wouldn’t have a longer jail sentence.
This isn’t all to say Valerie is all mystery and drama; you gradually see her lighter side once she acclimates to her old life. She initially comes off as aloof while simultaneously being nosey, and nagging yet endearing (just like a mother/the Canadian equivalent of being waspy). Just that duality in one person is hilarious to watch. Anyone who has had an argument with their mom understands how comically frustrating these sort of cyclical arguments can get.
The gradually building tension in Cardinals is so subtle, you don’t feel it happening until it breaks and you’re as tense as a bow. But Sheila McCarthy still plays Valerie as cool and levelheaded, which is to the character’s detriment in some ways.
Cardinals is playing on Sunday, September 17th at 10am. You can purchase tickets on the TIFF website.
