Edge Of Madness
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''Edge of Madness'' is a 2002 drama film based on the short story "A Wilderness Station", written by
Alice Munro Alice Ann Munro ( ; ; 10 July 1931 – 13 May 2024) was a Canadian short story writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. Her work tends to move forward and backward in time, with integrated short story cycles. Munro's ...
. /sup> The Canadian film stars
Brendan Fehr Brendan Jacob Joel Fehr (born October 29, 1977) is a Canadian film and television actor, perhaps best known for portraying Michael Guerin in the WB television series '' Roswell'', and for portraying lab tech Dan Cooper in '' CSI: Miami''. In ...
,
Caroline Dhavernas Caroline Dhavernas ( ; born May 15, 1978) is a Canadian actress. In the United States, her best known work has been her collaborations with Bryan Fuller. She played Jaye Tyler in the Fox comedy-drama series '' Wonderfalls'', and Alana Bloom in th ...
, and Corey Sevier. Written by Charles K. Pitts and Anne Wheeler, the film is based on the life of a young woman (Annie) who confesses to the murder of her husband. Annie is selected out of an orphanage to be a part of an arranged marriage and to be a housewife at a homestead. After countless rapes and times of abuse, George the brother of Simon (Annie's husband), murders Simon. As the story progresses, Annie confesses to this murder and her life and liberty are put into question. The movie has not received any specific awards, but Anne Wheeler was awarded the DGC Lifetime Award at the 2016 Directors Guild Canada Awards. Her awards stemmed from her achievements from films such as ''Edge of Madness'', ''
Better Than Chocolate ''Better Than Chocolate'' is a 1999 Canadian romantic comedy film shot in Vancouver and directed by Anne Wheeler. Plot Maggie ( Karyn Dwyer) has moved out on her own and has started a relationship with Kim ( Christina Cox). Maggie's mother Lil ...
'', and ''Chi''.


Plot

Annie Herron is abused by her husband, Simon, whilst his brother, George, was seemingly helpless to intervene. The film hits an interesting twist when Simon is murdered. Annie is convinced that she is the murderer, even as she gets herself admitted to the gaol in the Fort. In 1851, Annie is living in an orphanage and is put into an
arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of Marriage, marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures, a professional matchmaki ...
to Simon, who takes her to a homestead which is still being built. He puts her to work cooking and cleaning for him and his brother, George. At night, Simon expects Annie to submit to his rough sexual advances, even raping her several times. George tries to talk to Simon about treating Annie better, but his pleas fall on deaf ears. Simon becomes ever more brutal towards Annie, even beating her while he's in a drunken rage. Meanwhile, George himself is interested in pursuing Annie, which puts her into emotional turmoil. Simon's murder culminates these events, with Annie being locked up in the gaol, while a Detective, Henry Mullen, investigates. Through flashbacks, we learn that George, distraught from witnessing how his brother treated Annie, kills Simon by hitting him in the back with an axe. He brings Simon's body back to the homestead, telling Annie that a
tree branch A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins. History and etymology In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includi ...
had fallen on him. Annie, by this time, had been driven mad from the beatings and rapes Simon had forced upon her. She hits Simon posthumously on the head with a rock. She and George consummate their feelings. Days later, she admits herself to the gaol, while George has fled the homestead to stay with a neighboring family. After reading the unsent letter from Annie and learning of her abused life, Henry decides to dismiss the investigation of the death of Simon, and let Annie and George live their lives. Henry tells Annie that Sadie is dead, and they share a painful moment and hug each other. One year later in church, George marries neighbour Treece family's daughter Jenny. Annie finds out while in the gaol that she is pregnant, but is not certain whether the father is Simon or George. George apologizes to Annie for not being there and staying with her, but Annie forgives George. She declares the baby girl as being Simon's child, so that the child will always be welcome and cared for in later life. The film ends where Annie and Henry look at each other and they share a dance in a good moment at a party.


Cast

*
Brendan Fehr Brendan Jacob Joel Fehr (born October 29, 1977) is a Canadian film and television actor, perhaps best known for portraying Michael Guerin in the WB television series '' Roswell'', and for portraying lab tech Dan Cooper in '' CSI: Miami''. In ...
as Simon Herron *
Paul Johansson Paul Johansson (born January 26, 1964) is an American-born Canadian actor and director in film and television, best known for playing Dan Scott on the WB/ CW series '' One Tree Hill'', ''The Notebook'', and for his role as Nick Wolfe on the s ...
as Henry Mullen * Corey Sevier as George Herron *Jonas Chernick as William Sellor *
Caroline Dhavernas Caroline Dhavernas ( ; born May 15, 1978) is a Canadian actress. In the United States, her best known work has been her collaborations with Bryan Fuller. She played Jaye Tyler in the Fox comedy-drama series '' Wonderfalls'', and Alana Bloom in th ...
as Annie Herron *
Tantoo Cardinal Tantoo Cardinal CM (born July 20, 1950) is a Canadian actress. Of Cree and Métis heritage, in 2009 she was made a member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada, as a s ...
as Ruth *
Peter Wingfield Peter Wingfield (born 5 September 1962) is a Welsh actor and anesthesiologist. He is known for his television roles, notably as Dan Clifford on ''Holby City'', Methos on '' Highlander: The Series,'' Dr. Robert Helm on '' Queen of Swords'', In ...
as Reverend Walter McBain


Production


Filming

This movie was filmed in two locations; Minnedosa, Manitoba, Canada, and
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,607 and a metropolitan population of 834,678, making ...
.


Release

Edge of Madness had a relatively small release only being aired on a single screen in Vancouver after being passed by both the Toronto Film Festival and Vancouver Film Festival. Anne Wheeler described her displeasure for the small release, but attributed it partly to having no major stars in the film


Response

The film "Edge of Madness" has a limited amount of critical reviews and responses, but enough to form an opinion as well as an overall consensus. The movie received a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 6.3/10 of IMDb. Through IMDb there are some viewer responses, many of which state it is a relatively good film for the low budget. Many of the critical responses have also claimed it was intriguing for a small-budget film, but some parts were rather dull


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edge Of Madness Canadian drama films 2002 films English-language Canadian films Films about rape Films based on Canadian short stories Films about domestic violence Films based on works by Alice Munro 2000s English-language films 2000s Canadian films