Starring Sarah Polley, Brendan Fletcher, Diane Ladd, Sean McCann, Kristen Thomson, Rob Stefaniuk, Shirley Douglas, Victor Cowie. Written and Directed by John Greyson. In 1991 Sarnia, Ontario, Beatrice (Polley) meets Henry (Fletcher) and notices he has a tumour on his neck. She mistakes the cancer it for AIDS, but pursues a friendship with Henry. As she realizes he is neither gay nor sick with AIDS, she is more intrigued. The night before his surgery to remove the tumour that has little chance of success, Henry and Beatrice make love so he will not die a virgin. Miraculously, he survives and they are given the chance for a life together. Forty years later, Bea (McCann) and Hank (McCann) are stuck in their marriage and trapped by routine, bickering like many other couples do. They worked at jobs they hated, drank too much and raised kids they rarely see. But Hank falls in love with a piece of land near a friend of theirs (Douglas) and decides, having nothing to lose, to build a "dream house" for him and Bea, hoping to grab one last chance for happiness. Filmed from the book of the same name, the author has said this story was inspired by the rocky, unhappy marriage of his own parents. It must have been a depressing childhood. We briefly see Hank and Bea's grown son who avoids seeing his parents, unless one of them is hurt, because Hank does not approve of his alternative lifestyle. Greyson has moved the story from Long Island to Sarnia, Ontario to maintain proximity to the U.S. for the Gulf War part of the story, and to show the dominating effect of oil and petrochemicals in modern day Sarnia. The story is told by flashing back and forth from the present (2031) to 1991. The device and style of the film, not unlike that of Atom Egoyan, works well and it is not hard to follow. The problem with the film is not with the actors. Polley is sad and haunting as the young woman just finishing seven years of looking after her late father, not really knowing much about life or the opposite sex. Henry's mother asks her what she wants to do with her life, and she mumbles she wants kids and to maybe go back to school so she can get a better job, but she really doesn't know what she wants. She pursues a young man basically because that is what everybody does. It's not unlike many people in their youth who have finished school, where their life is organized and regemented, and then find their life is wide open and they must decide what to do with it. McCann and Ladd are both solid as the fading couple who after forty years have grown apart, their kids abandoning them because of their unhappy bickering. Douglas is especially good, providing brief injections of warmth and quirky humour into often depressing circumstances. One other instance of humour, especially for those with some familiarity with Sarnia, is the best line in the movie. Henry's mother says after Henry's out on the town getting drunk once again with the boys, she welcomes Beatrice to being a wife. Beatrice says to her that this is the 90's, Henry's mom says, "No, this is Sarnia". The problem with the Law Of Enclosures is twofold. First many of the events stretch credibility somewhat. I found it unlikely that Beatrice would pursue this particular young man, and then so easily blurt out that she loved him (and mean it). And their discussion of having sex just prior to his life-saving operation contains some of the most bad-soap-opera melodramtic lines I've cringed to in a while. Secondly, the characters are kind of flat, save that of Douglas - neither appealing nor very interesting. I found it difficult to root for Hank and Bea, since they were the authors of most of their misfortune, and they were not people well-suited for each other. Perhaps that's the crux of the story - many couples get together for very little reason other than that they want somebody, and the person they they first latch onto will have to do. While the director and cast can be commended for tackling a serious and downbeat story, it does not make for a very compelling film. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page