Justin here with another report from the Vail Film Festival and a great little movie called Small Town Murder Songs.
One of my favorite things about police procedurals is that by definition there is a basic formula that the story must follow. This can allow the storyteller to go to interesting places thematically and do things with the characters that would be harder to do in other kinds of stories. This is the best asset of Small Town Murder Songs, a story about one man's struggles with his inner demons, faith, and tradition in small town Ontario.
Small Town Murder Songs follows a policeman, Walter as played by Peter Stormrare, as he is tasked with solving a baffling murder. A young woman who appears to be a stripper or prostitute is found dead near the town's fishing lake with no ID, no clear cause of death, and no obvious suspects. Walter comes from old world stock. The town as a strong Mennonite population and it is just as likely to hear German as English. To compound matters, everyone knows about Walter's struggles with anger – he accidentally killed a man in the line of duty about 6 months before our story begins. Walter is a man searching for redemption and trying to not to make the same mistake twice.
This is writer/producer/director Ed Glass-Donnely's second feature length movie. He has incredible potential. The feel of the movie is pitch perfect. The simply beautiful Canadian farm country is embraced by huge panoramic shots with slow pans. Visually it is reminiscent of Terrance Mallick. There is a steadiness in the direction of the movie that echoes the fortitude that these stern and deeply religious characters attempt to have. The soundtrack is comprised almost entirely of Canadian indie-folk-rock band, Bruce Peninsula, who turn in jaw dropping arrangements of traditional murder ballads and originals that sound like they could be traditionals as well. Glass-Donnely puts these haunting and powerful songs over his landscapes and long establishing shots to create a sense of unease, urgency, and history.
The acting was excellent all around with Peter Stormrare being absolutely captivating as a non-traditional leading man. The supporting cast all does wonderfully capturing the boredom and intrigue of small town life. I particularly liked Ari Cohen, who plays the big investigator from London, Ontario. He does a good great job showing the character trying to be sensitive to the other characters while also being absolutely befuddled with the situation he's placed in.
Some people may be disappointed that the actual murder mystery at the heart of the movie is a relatively unimportant part of the story. The perpetrator is pretty obvious to the view as well as the characters in the story. The movie is more about the crisis of faith that Walter is experiencing. He is disconnected from his community, beliefs, and family. The struggle is one of duty vs. obligation. Walter struggles to do what's right by his community, if not by the law.
I don't really have any major criticisms of this movie. It did feel like something was missing and holding it back from greatness. It's really hard to put my finger on what that may have been. As it stands, Small Town Murder Songs is a fantastic little movie that will hopefully move to wider recognition as more people see it. It's rare when movies with this level of technical prowess, smartness, and heart come around.