User reviews

Yoli (Alison Pill) is having something personal issues. She has teenage daughter Nora (Amybeth McNulty) and is getting divorced. Her sister Elf (Sarah Gadon) tried to kill herself. Lottie (Mare Winningham) is her mother. Jake (Donal Logue) is her father. Her beloved aunt Tina (Mimi Kuzyk) has a heart attack. The family is Canadian Mennonite.

Michael McGowan is the writer and director. It's adapted from a novel by Miriam Toews. It's obviously coming from personal experiences. It's not a movie of action or thrills or even plot points. It is a movie of personal drama. Alison Pill delivers a varied powerful performance. She has her cry moments, anger moments, and comedic moments which she is apt to do. One must be aware however that this movie is not a mover.

You can't give this a bad review because it is heartfelt. But I have yet to see a film that even touches on this type of depression. Sadness is one thing, chimerical type depression is another. Alison Pill and her character carry the film.

"All My Puny Sorrows" is a movie I really, really wanted to like. It features some of my favorite actresses-giving wonderful performances-and certainly means to explore deep, interesting human drama. Unfortunately, this film is a classic example of biting off more than can be chewed both plot-wise and thematically.

For a very basic overview, "All My Puny Sorrows" tells the story of two sisters, their mother, and generational (perhaps inherited) depression. After Elf (Sarah Gadon) fails in a suicide attempt, sister Yoli (Alison Pill) reunites with her-and mother Lottie (Mare Winningham)-in order to figure out exactly what happened and try to get Elf back on the right path.

There are actually a lot of things to like in this setup that my 4-star ranking somewhat belies. The acting is fantastic from the trio of leading ladies, it is shot/constructed in an interesting and engaging fashion, and it always seems important (never boring or pointless). In a sense, it has many of the bones that comprise a great indie film.

The elephant in the room, however, is that plot/theme-wise this movie is all over the place. Is it about sisterhood? Generational depression? Suicide? Mennonite culture? "All My Puny Sorrows" tries to tackle all of those at once and doesn't have the chutzpah to pull it off. So, the entire experience ends up feeling like a series of interesting/compelling ideas that never really lead anywhere because-in a 1:43 runtime-there just isn't enough time for exploration before it is "on to the next topic".

So, "All My Puny Sorrows" is what I'd consider a "really solid, not very good" movie, if that makes any sense. It technically does all the things one would want in a human drama film, but fails to crystalize into a coherent, thematic whole in the end.

Sometimes letting go of grief is worse than the grief itself, for in letting go we risk losing this part of our true selves and our life experience. In other words, punting the ball down the field does not help in dealing with and defeating what ails the psyche. We must grapple with it and pull through.

Sisters Yoli and Elf struggle to deal with the depression and doubt that plagues their family and lives. Suffering seems to be inherited for them. Elf, a concert pianist, tried to kill herself and intends to try again. Yoli attempts to convince her sister to stay alive, but Yoli is not a model of healthy living herself and faces a nearly impossible task. Society conspires against the sisters too in that its focus is on shame and profits rather than truth and healing. There is hope for the sisters, and others in the same boat, in that life is always teaching lessons, and there is so much to learn, and so much that is beautiful.

All My Puny Sorrows is moody and emotional like its characters. There are sudden shifts in focus. For all the dark moments, there are others full of light and laughter. At times the actors struggle with the heavy themes around depression and suicide, but the authenticity of the story shines through such faults. I treasured the reasons for living that Yoli found in this heartfelt and candid story. "I used to wake up in the morning singing," said Yoli. If only we all could do more things like this. And quote more poetry. Awareness replacing ignorance, empathy for others over convenience, and truth before profit and fear. Watching Yoli, Elf, and their loved ones deal with the grief gives me hope for the world. We are supposed to help each other after all.

World premiere seen at the Toronto international film festival. Film based on a novel by Miriam Toews.

The acting is good, the atmosphere is good. But the story is cliché and very boring. I have watched it till middle and hope it will get unboring but it stays the same all the way.

Not recommend.

Within a family filled with enlightening sturdyness, but also the dark sides of mental health family history. This film gave me a new view on the heavy gravity of the term depression, and that it is actually, or may be or could become a deadly disease to someone...sometime...yes a deadly one, why havent any top shrinks defined it as it is...to somebody...a deadly disease ...where medication wont take away the darkness and sadness that engulfs individuals from time to time and eventually never sees the light again, cause its a deadly disease...to somebody.

They say things are running in the family, and suicide may also be a term that may infect a family tree. Its a well acted, heavily and deep written screenplay about death and life, love and loss because the a-train to heaven took of far too early. A film that will bore some and excavate deep gashes in someones hearts, a tear will drop in someones commemorations of a lost partner, child or friend.

So throw yourselves into the purgatory where its rather cold and dark, a very realistic set of silverscreen emotions that the grumpy old man recommend if you need to.

The film achieves its goal in displaying the multitude of effects that illness can take on a family and the very real endless concern that is required and rightfully present. The film does not censor or shy away from how difficult a challenge this is and does a good job showing how this trauma can impact generations of the family.

The performances are good with a very appropriate soundtrack.

Simple, elegant and emotional. Allison Pill and Sarah Gadon deliver performances I am speechless to describe. It is a heart breaking journey but one I want to see over and over again so I can revel in their beautiful performances. I'm also happy and proud about the Canadian representation.

This isn't a fun watch, but it is profoundly good, honest cinema. The subject matter is emotionally complex. The performances by Sarah Gadon, Alison Pill, and Mare Winningham are compelling. Lesser actors would not have been able to express the complexity of the feelings with such directed intent.

The movie isn't perfect. At 103 minutes, the movie isn't all that long, but there are some editing choices that could have made for a better pace. There are multi-minute segments that drag a little bit. Honestly, I think the movie would have been fine if the last eleven minutes were edited out.

That said, this is a good movie if you are in the mood to feel some melancholy.

This was a great film, delving into the difficult subject of loss, grief, mental health (& it's woefully inadequate treatments) & suicide.

This movie focusses on a woman grieving the loss of her father, while she tries to help and juggle her time between her sister's depressive condition, & her mother, aunt & daughter, whose lives have all experienced the ensuing turmoil of a family members suicide.

The characters are all portrayed well, especially the two leads, the two sisters, as we watch their very different lifestyles, following their father's death.

One is a very successful & talented musician, but cannot face life for her depression, the other is a struggling writer, hoping for a break, but so busy with concerns for the wellbeing of her sister, mother, aunt and daughter.

The acting is good, the characters easy to feel empathy for, most importantly they're all believable - I don't recall a line, or scene, or character that didn't play true, a well constructed, thoughtful film, that was very true, very lifelike.

All the components needed for a good drama.

This is not a film for everyone. It moves at a slow burn. It addresses the repeated tragedy of suicide in a family. It lets its story rest in its characters. The heartbeats are daily struggle, silent moments, deep bonds and literate musings. If it were not for the extraordinary talents of the cast this film would lose its footing but there is great talent here. I give this film an 8 (masterfully performed) out of 10. {Drama}

The most beautifully written piece I've seen in a very long time. And splendid acting by all...especially Mare Winninham and Alison Pill. Surprising humor considering the dark subject matter.

The trailer makes this fine Canadian film seem like a three-hanky Existentialist chick flick, which it is to some extent. I'm sorry it doesn't include the scene where a Mennonite preacher calls on Elf(rieda), the suicidal concert pianist sister, in her hospital room. She gets out of bed while reciting Larkin's "Days" and taking off her clothes (patients on suicide watch aren't allowed underwear, we're told in a masterly bit of foreshadowing); the preacher flees.

Fun fact: The one-line Valéry "poem" the sisters recite is actually just a line and a bit from "La Dormeuse," but now it's banging around the internet as a meme all on its own.

Films are entertainment, right? Yeah sure... Sometime, surely not this time. I can think of so many labels for this film: boring, hopeless, slow, not funny at all. I've Always seen media such as films and TV series like a way to improve myself, open my mind and of course enjoying that time as mush as I can. This time has been a rare one, I didn't feel alone, I didn't feel so wrong and I did feel that this film is just about right. If you're dealing with depression or something similiar, you will probably feel a little bit 'better' knowing that so many people took the effort to create a film like this, it's not life changing I'd say, but I'm grateful I could see this film is this not-so-easy night.