ByTowne ByTowne Cinema
ByTowne Cinema
325 Rideau St. Ottawa K1N 5Y4
Info Line: (613) 789-FILM
Oliver Sherman
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Does saving someone else’s life make you responsible for them? This is the central question of this penetrating film about existential angst, which is grounded in subtle oppositions: friendship and duties, innocence and manipulation, past and present.
Seven years have passed since Franklin Page (Donal Logue) saved the life of fellow soldier Sherman Oliver (Garret Dillahunt) on the battlefield. It feels like it’s been a long time for earnest and hard-working Franklin, who has since moved to the countryside with his wife, Irene (Molly Parker), and their two children. But seven years seems a mere heartbeat for solitary vet pensioner Sherman, who still bears the scars of the horrors he survived. When Sherman pays a surprise visit to Franklin, who hasn’t seen or heard from him since they left the army, it sets off a chain of events that first time feature director Ryan Redford skilfully crafts into a poignant and meaningful story.
Lost and shy, Sherman is a welcome guest in the Page home. He reconnects with his old friend over beers on the porch and during nights on the town. But when he overstays his welcome, the seemingly placid countenance of this veteran starts to crack, and he lashes out in outbursts of aggressiveness and resentment toward Irene. Drawn from a short story by Rachel Ingalls, the film plunges from quiet character study into psychological thriller.
As Sherman, Dillahunt (whom you might remember as the sheriff in Winter’s Bone) is nothing less than splendid. He conveys the hurt of a lost soldier, and hints at an emotional time bomb ticking beneath the surface of a calm exterior. Parker, who previously acted alongside Dillahunt in ‘Deadwood’, is equally compelling as the warm and understanding wife of a no-nonsense man. Franklin is embodied to subtle perfection by Logue. These fine performances buoy a gripping and memorable film.
– Martin Bilodeau, Toronto International Film Festival
The ByTowne doesn't have a parking lot of its own, but denizens of downtown can usually find street parking close by fairly easily.
This web site is very useful, but the hard copy of the ByTowne guide still has its merits. People rely on it and love it. Plus, its calendar pages can be pulled out and posted on your fridge door, something that we still can't achieve with the web site. Get your copy today at many local stores, coffee shops and info centres around town! 