In post Civil War New England, a widow (Helene Joy) and her three children live in near poverty when the eldest daughter (Tatiana Maslany) writes a letter to her wealthy grandmother (Jacqueline Bisset), who has been estranged from her daughter for years, in the hopes she will provide an answer to their dilemma. The film plays out like a lost chapter from
LITTLE WOMEN and why wouldn't it since it's based on a short story by Louisa May Alcott,
LITTLE WOMEN's author. Shot in a snowy Canadian landscape which stands in for New England, it's a modest, gentle natured movie that doesn't overdo the sweetness. Bisset's character retains her tartness through most of the film while Joy makes for a formidable opponent. Maslany's character is a budding writer, like Jo in
LITTLE WOMEN, but she could have used more of Jo's spunk and feistiness though the fault may lie in the actress and not the writing. Directed by Graeme Campbell with a lovely score by James Gelfand.
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