Still the Water Parent Guide

I’ll begin by saying that the most notable thing about Still the Water is its location – Canada’s Prince Edward Island. If you’re expecting the PEI of tourist brochures or the Anne of Green Gables series, you’re in for a surprise. Yes, there are beautiful seascapes with waves washing against red cliffs. Yes, there are charming scenes of brightly colored homes along the bay. But this story takes place at the grimy end of winter, so everything looks as gray and chilly as the family relationships that unfold across the screen.

The three MacAulay brothers – Jordie, Nicky, and Noah – are at the center of the plot. Jordie, rootless and angry, has just been thrown off another hockey team for fighting. Tired of sleeping in the back of his truck, he heads back to the Malpeque peninsula where he grew up. There, his brother Nicky – married, cheating, and angry – reluctantly allows him to stay in a house he’s looking after until it sells. And the youngest brother, Noah – bright-eyed and chatty - welcomes him home like an excited puppy.

Jordie eases back into life in Malpeque, playing on the community hockey team, working in the family shipbuilding business, and going out on the fishing boats. But the family tensions that drove him away from home years ago haven’t disappeared and eventually they burst forth with added venom fostered by years of hurt and bitterness.

Still the Water is not an exciting film. It has little action but lots and lots of emotional angst. I’m not averse to emotional drama, but pacing and believability are critical and this film lacks both. The production moves as slowly as the emergence of a Canadian spring. In fact, sitting through this movie feels like watching snow melt. It takes forever, it can be dull, and you’re desperately looking for something green under the slush. Therein lies the second problem. The plot isn’t green or fresh; it has that “I’m sure I’ve seen this story before” vibe that you get from soap operas.

On top of these issues, the movie also has negative content, particularly repeated scenes of alcohol abuse. Main characters frequently use alcohol to cope with emotional distress, they often get drunk, and one even drives under the influence on several occasions and faces no consequences for his reckless behavior. Profanity is another problem, with over 50 swear words, including fourteen sexual expletives. And although there is no explicit sexual behavior, an adulterous relationship is an important plot point. Unusually for film, the adultery isn’t romanticized and the pain it causes to the betrayed wife is clearly shown.

Despite its problems, Still the Water isn’t a dead loss. On top of its lovely scenery, the movie is the cinematic equivalent of a public service announcement warning about the long term damage caused by domestic abuse. And it strongly advocates working through heartache and expressing feelings rather than bottling them up. Themes of forgiveness, second chances, and family unity dominate the story – and those are messages that resonate anywhere in the world; not just on a tiny speck of red earth in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.