Cinema
The Grocer's Wife
John Pozer · 1991
Synopsis
Trail, a smelter town in British Columbia, lives under the fumes of a smokestack. Tim Midley, a shy bachelor, spends his days monitoring its emissions and lives with Mildred, his domineering mother. Mrs. Friendly, the grocer's wife, sets out to seduce him. When his mother, poisoned by the pollution, is hospitalised, Tim opens his door to Anita Newlove, an American stripper passing through, and the routine of the house is upended.
Context
The film is shot in black and white, in the town of Trail itself. Simon Webb plays Tim, Andrea Rankin his mother, Nicola Cavendish the grocer and Susinn McFarlen the stripper. At the Toronto festival, where it was shown in September 1991, Atom Egoyan, who won a prize for his own film, handed Pozer the money from his prize. The following year, the film opened the Critics' Week at Cannes.
Who it is for
One hundred minutes, in English, in black and white; a strange black comedy set in a small industrial town.
Prizes and reception
Jury mention for best Canadian film in Toronto, Georges-Sadoul Prize for best first film, Claude Jutra Award, and Genie Award for Nicola Cavendish.
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