Swann

Low-key drama set in rural Ontario, from a novel by Carol Shields, with Fricker as the spinster librarian guarding the memorabilia and reputation of a local 'primitive' poet murdered by her husband. When celebrity author Richardson turns up to research a book on the dead woman, desperate to beat the ruthless academics who want a monopoly on the subject, Fricker finds her hitherto tranquil lifestyle threatened. Thanks to a firm grasp of detail and the sturdy lead performances, the film works rather better as a character study than a feminist drama about the varieties of violence inflicted on women by men.