Emile

Color, R (mature themes, language), 91 min., DVD $24.95, VHS $24.95

DVD: no extras

Street: April 26, Prebook: April 4

First Run: L Int'l. 2003, NA

Cast: Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), Deborah Kara Unger (Thirteen), Tygh Runyan (K-19: The Widowmaker), Theo Crane (Little Brother of War)

MONARCH

Emile (McKellen), a London professor, returns to his native Canada to accept an honorary degree and to hopefully reconnect with his only living family members, his niece Nadia (Unger) and her daughter Maria (Crane).The main attraction of this deliberately paced (read: slow) Canadian drama is the presence of Sir McKellen in the title role. He's not in Gandalf or Magneto action gear in this outing, but rather the thoughtful, intense and intellectual mode for which he is still well known. In a nod to Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries (and Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry, which is itself an homage to Strawberries), Emile finds himself drifting back and forth between memory and reality as he tries to make sense of his guilt-ridden life. Not only did he escape the Canadian farm he grew up on, but he also escaped the dysfunctional relationship of his two brothers, both of whom eventually die in a tragic accident and then haunt Emile as present-day ghosts. What's more, Emile abandoned Nadia, his brother's daughter. The sting of betrayal is brought forth when they finally meet as adults, and fortunately both Unger and McKellen are excellent, doing a bang-up job of revealing all the hidden emotions their characters feel. Like a small literary novel, Emile won't be a bestseller on video. But for those with a particular bent for quiet, internal dramas, this is the kind of title that delivers. --Mayna Bergmann

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