The Hanging Garden
Encyclopedia
The Hanging Garden is a 1997 British
/Canadian
movie
written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald
that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.
25-year-old Sweet William (Chris Leavins
) returns to his parents' house after ten years of absence to attend the wedding of his sister Rosemary (Kerry Fox
). It is revealed that he was once a gay
, obese teenager (played by Troy Veinotte), who was caught having sex with his bisexual
friend Fletcher (Joel Keller) in the garden by his grandmother when he was 15; Rosemary is marrying Fletcher.
As a consequence of the ensuing rejection, particularly by his father (Peter MacNeill
), Sweet William had the choice of either running away to live in a big city far away from the family or committing suicide by hanging himself from a tree in the garden.
In the movie, both the alive, now slender and self-assured Sweet William and the obese, suffocated teenage Sweet William, hanging as a fresh corpse in the garden, are present and interacting. In the version of reality where Sweet William dies, his family members cannot shed their memories of his death and carry on with their lives, whereas in the other version Sweet William is haunted by memories of his father's misbehavior and is unable to reconcile with him.
As well, a new family member, Violet (Christine Dunsworth) is subsequently revealed to have been fathered by Sweet William, from an incident when Sweet William's mother (Seana McKenna
) took him to a prostitute in an attempt to "cure" his homosexuality.
The cast also includes Sarah Polley
, Joan Orenstein
, Heather Rankin and a cameo appearance by Ashley MacIsaac
.
See also The Hanging Garden
for the film's soundtrack
album.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
/Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald
Thom Fitzgerald
Thomas "Thom" Fitzgerald is an award winning American-Canadian film director as well live theater director.-Life:Fitzgerald was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York. His parents divorced when he was five years old. He moved with his mother and brother, Timothy Jr., to Bergenfield, New Jersey,...
that is about the duality of life and death and the way seemingly very different choices in life can lead to similar outcomes.
25-year-old Sweet William (Chris Leavins
Chris Leavins
Chris Leavins is a Canadian actor and writer based in Los Angeles, USA. He has appeared in a number of successful Canadian television shows and been nominated for two Gemini Awards...
) returns to his parents' house after ten years of absence to attend the wedding of his sister Rosemary (Kerry Fox
Kerry Fox
Kerry Fox is a New Zealand actress. She came to prominence playing author Janet Frame in the movie An Angel at My Table directed by Jane Campion, which gained her a Best Actress Award from the New Zealand Film and Television Awards....
). It is revealed that he was once a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, obese teenager (played by Troy Veinotte), who was caught having sex with his bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
friend Fletcher (Joel Keller) in the garden by his grandmother when he was 15; Rosemary is marrying Fletcher.
As a consequence of the ensuing rejection, particularly by his father (Peter MacNeill
Peter MacNeill
Peter MacNeill is a Canadian film and television actor who has starred in several TV shows and movies.His film credits have included The Hanging Garden , Geraldine's Fortune, Giant Mine, Lives of Girls and Women, The Events Leading Up to My Death, Dog Park, Something Beneath and A...
), Sweet William had the choice of either running away to live in a big city far away from the family or committing suicide by hanging himself from a tree in the garden.
In the movie, both the alive, now slender and self-assured Sweet William and the obese, suffocated teenage Sweet William, hanging as a fresh corpse in the garden, are present and interacting. In the version of reality where Sweet William dies, his family members cannot shed their memories of his death and carry on with their lives, whereas in the other version Sweet William is haunted by memories of his father's misbehavior and is unable to reconcile with him.
As well, a new family member, Violet (Christine Dunsworth) is subsequently revealed to have been fathered by Sweet William, from an incident when Sweet William's mother (Seana McKenna
Seana McKenna
Seana McKenna is a Canadian actress primarily associated with stage roles at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.-Background:Seana Mckenna was raised in Etobicoke, west of Toronto, Ontario...
) took him to a prostitute in an attempt to "cure" his homosexuality.
The cast also includes Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley is a Canadian actress, singer, film director, and screenwriter. Polley first attained notice in her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series, Road to Avonlea...
, Joan Orenstein
Joan Orenstein
Joan Orenstein was a British-born Canadian actress, primarily on stage, although she performed in other media...
, Heather Rankin and a cameo appearance by Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian professional fiddler from Cape Breton Island.His album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie", with vocals in Scottish Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond was released in 1995...
.
See also The Hanging Garden
The Hanging Garden (soundtrack)
The Hanging Garden is a 1997 album, a soundtrack to the Canadian film The Hanging Garden.-Track listing:# Ani DiFranco, "The Million You Never Made"# Ashley MacIsaac, "Ashley's Reels"# Mae Moore, "Deep Water"# Spirit of the West, "Kiss and Tell"...
for the film's soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
album.
Awards
- Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Screenplay, The Hanging Garden - Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(win) - Seana McKenna, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The Hanging Garden - Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(win) - Peter MacNeill, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, The Hanging Garden - Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(nom) - T. Fitzgerald, L. Garfield, A. Gelbart, Best Motion Picture, The Hanging Garden - Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(nom) - Joan Orenstein, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The Hanging Garden - Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(nom) - Kerry Fox, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, The Hanging Garden - Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(nom) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Achievement in Direction, The Hanging Garden - Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(nom) - James A. Worthen, Best Achievement in Costume Design, The Hanging Garden - Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(nom) - Taavo Soodor, Darlene Shiels, Best Achievement in Art Direction, The Hanging Garden - Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(nom) - Susan Shanks, Best Achievement in Film Editing, The Hanging Garden - Genie AwardGenie AwardGenie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
(nom) - Peter Harper, Phillipe Espantoso, George Hannan, Best Sound, The Hanging Garden
- Claude Jutra AwardClaude Jutra AwardThe Claude Jutra Award is a special Canadian film award, presented at the annual Genie Award ceremony to the year's best feature film by a first-time film director...
- Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
- Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Audience Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Film, The Hanging Garden - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Canadian Film, The Hanging Garden - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Joan Orenstein, Best Actress, The Hanging Garden - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Troy Vienotte, Best Actor, The Hanging Garden - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Writing, The Hanging Garden - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Atlantic Canadian Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, Best Direction, The Hanging Garden - Atlantic Film FestivalAtlantic Film FestivalThe Atlantic Film Festival is an international film festival held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Held annually, the ten-day celebration of film and video from Atlantic Canada and around the world is committed to screening an inspiring and engaging collection of films and videos from Canada and the...
, Best Atlantic Film Award (win) - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
- Troia International Film Festival, FIPRESCI Prize - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
- Troia International Film Festival, Prize of the City of Grandola - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
- GLAAD Media AwardsGLAAD Media AwardsThe GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
(nom) - Outstanding Film (Limited Release), The Hanging Garden
- Mar del Plata Film FestivalMar del Plata Film FestivalThe Mar del Plata International Film Festival is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina...
Best Screenplay - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
- Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
People's Choice Award - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden - Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
Best Canadian Feature Film - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
- Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver International Film FestivalThe Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
Most Popular Canadian Film - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden - Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver International Film FestivalThe Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
Best Canadian Screenplay - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
- Sudbury Cinefest Best Canadian Film Award - Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden
- Chlotrudis AwardChlotrudis Award for Best CinematographyThe Chlotrudis Award for Best Cinematography is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the person or persons whose winning work is voted by participating members...
(nom) - Daniel Jobin, Best Cinematography, The Hanging Garden - Chlotrudis AwardChlotrudis Award for Best Supporting ActorThe Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the actor or actors whose winning performance is voted by participating members. The Chlotrudis Awards is an annual ceremony where the best of the previous year's independent and...
(nom) - Troy Vienotte, Best Supporting Actor, The Hanging Garden