Jerome's Secret

Running time: N/A

Mystery combined with love and prejudice is an unusual recipe for a film, but you can trust the French (in this case, French-Canadian) to bring it off with culinary flair. This nineteenth century period tale takes place in Nova Scotia and reflects the rigid mores of that time and place. Jean, an unhappy exile from Corsica, searches obsessively for rumored buried pirate treasure while his wife, Julitt, tries to make ends meet amid the hostility of the town and Jean's driven single-mindedness. A mysterious stranger is thrust into their unhappy life when he is found on the shore unconscious and with both legs amputated and apparently mute. An itinerant pharmacist, Cyril, helps the stranger recover while displaying more than a passing medical knowledge. Eventually, the couple's marriage, the town's attitudes and the puzzle of the helpless stranger inexorably intertwine, changing the lives of Jean and Julitt and the townspeople forever. The resolution of their problems is both dramatic and unconventionally satisfying. Director Phil Comeau, in his debut as a feature film director, creates a rich, many-layered story of provincial lives which are driven by ignorance and cruelty as well as simple kindness and love. Jerome's Secret is another excellent example of the high quality of Canadian cinema which continues to dramatically influence the modern independents. --Ed Soohoo