The Hanging Garden poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Chris Leavins, Kerry Fox, Seanna McKenna, Peter MacNeill, Christine Dunsworth ... see more see more... , Troy Veinotte , Sarah Polley , Joel S. Keller , Joan Orenstein , Jocelyn Cunningham , Heather Rankin , Ashley Macisaac , Martha Irving , Renee Penney , Ian Parsons , Mark Austin , Jim Faraday , Annabelle Dexter , Tom Chambers , Michael Weir , Seana McKenna

Ten years after he disappeared from his family's life, Sweet William (Chris Leavins) returns home to Nova Scotia for his sister's wedding. Despite the fact that he's gone from a morbidly obese adolesc... read more read more...ent to a thin, handsome, self-assured young man, the reunion proves bittersweet. Although he reconnects with his loving sister Rosemary (Kerry Fox) and his Alzheimer's-afflicted grandmother Grace (Joan Orenstein), he is dismayed to learn that his parents' rocky marriage has settled into permanent animosity. He also witnesses the toll his absence has taken on his abusive, alcoholic father, Whiskey Mack (Peter MacNeill); his tight-lipped mother Iris (Seana McKenna); and Violet (Christine Dunsworth), the tomboyish younger sister he's never met. The past lingers in the very air of William's childhood home; disturbing visions of himself as both a waifish boy (Ian Parsons) and a fat adolescent (Troy Veinotte) follow him everywhere. And it's not just the ghosts who dredge up the past. Rosemary's new husband, Fletcher (Joel S. Keller), flirts shamelessly with William, bringing back memories of the painful relationship the two shared as teenagers. When Iris disappears, William must confront not only the haunting visions of his past, but also the unfinished business he left behind. The feature debut of writer/director Thom Fitzgerald, The Hanging Garden was the winner of the Air Canada People's Choice Award for best picture and the co-winner of the Toronto-CITY TV Award for Best Canadian Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Flixster Users

69% liked it

1,592 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

16 critics

R, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: Thom Fitzgerald

Release Date: May 15, 1998

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: June 3, 2003

Get It:

Stats: 108 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

The Hanging Garden
Upload a Photo | View All The Hanging Garden Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (108)

  • bbcfloridabound
    January 28, 2011
    bbcfloridabound
    This one is from the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival list I have. Not a bad film just a little hard to understand, maybe someone who smoke's a bag of refer might understand it better. This movie was from the Perspective Canada portion of the film festival which I take to... read more mean was filmed in Canada. A young man returns home to his sisters wedding after being gone for 10 years, and talk about a dysfunctional family, no matter how f up your family may be these guys will beat them hands down. The wedding seemed like something out of Alabama and not Nova Scotia, didn't know they had rednecks up there. Anyway no one warned me in any review but I will warn you, Gay Theme throughout. Overall hard for me to understand. 2 stars.
  • RCCLBC
    December 13, 2010
    RCCLBC
    A good film, if you can get past the "made for tv" feel.

    A very interesting concept that just doesnt feel like it was fully developed / executed.
  • dreamfaeries
    June 9, 2008
    dreamfaeries
    It was alright.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    August 18, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    Dreary homecoming movie with a gay man revisiting his childhood pain at "The Hanging Garden". It's somewhat interesting.
  • unclejess71
    November 18, 2007
    unclejess71
    Shows how sometimes we have to get away from family just be ourselves. Being gay is hard enough without parents making your life a living hell.
  • marben1
    June 25, 2007
    marben1
    A gay man comes home after running away 10 years before to attend his sister's wedding and confront the demons of his past. A very well done film.
  • NinjaRose
    August 4, 2006
    NinjaRose
    This was a very odd movie... Did he really kill himself as a child and he being there at the wedding was in the memories of the people there? Or, was he really there, but his disappearance was hanging over his family like he had died?

    I am not really that sure which is true, b... read moreut then... that may have been what the writer of this movie had wished for.

    This was not a great movie, but it was not painful to watch. It had some very random moments.

View All The Hanging Garden Reviews

Critic Reviews

Eric Henderson
June 1, 2003
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine

It would be a lot easier to dismiss The Hanging Garden if its fetishized details weren't so naked and boldly autobiographical. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
April 9, 2003
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The ensemble acting is quite good Full Review

Steve Rhodes
January 1, 2000
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews

The director touches your heart without ever letting the story dissolve into anything approaching a tearjerker. Full Review

Maria Garcia
January 1, 2000
Maria Garcia, Film Journal International

What makes The Hanging Garden so unusual is Fitzgerald's classic approach to a portrayal of family life. Full Review

Widgett Walls
January 1, 2000
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com

If you can clue into Fitzgerald's blend of surreality and reality in not just the same film, but the same frame, then you'll be just fine. Full Review

Brendan Kelly
March 26, 2009
Brendan Kelly, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Jeff Strickler
November 6, 2002
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Click to read the article Full Review

July 12, 2002
Globe and Mail

Click to read the article Full Review

Kevin Thomas
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Joe Baltake
January 1, 2000
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Young Poisoner's Handbook
    The Young Poisoner's Handbook (50%)
  • Heavy
    Heavy (67%)
  • Querelle
    Querelle (50%)

More Movies like The Hanging Garden

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Hanging Garde... : Watch Free on TV

The Hanging Garden Trivia

  • In this botanical Canadian film all the characters are named after flowers and plants. "Sweet William" is the flower after which the main character is named, played at three different stages in his life.  Answer »
More The Hanging Garden Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Hanging Garden. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add The Hanging Garden to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?