The Law of Enclosures

Taken from a novel by writer/provocateur Dale Peck, this charts the 40-year decline of a marriage, from its inception at a moment of personal crisis (to the backdrop of constant Gulf War televisual bombardment) to a point, after decades of petty routine, habit and argument, at which the submerged love might just surface one last time. Typically Canadian in its fascination with a left-field view of the everyday, and with the impact of the media on psychology, the film shares something with Egoyan's Exotica in its use of time frames. Performances are on the whole convincing, but some slippages in character motivation affect audience empathy with figures who have to a great degree bought their problems upon themselves. Nevertheless, it's an intriguing if flawed adaptation.