Adrianne & the Castle

“It’s a brave thing people do when they fall in love. It’s gonna hurt.” Alan St-George fell for Adrianne before he even met her. It was love at first sight, and he was just 13-years-old. Although he had to woo her over the next few years, his ardour proved irresistible. They married. Bought a house. And under Adrianne’s influence, Alan—an artist who created a successful business making animal mascot costumes—transformed the place into a palace fit for a queen, with towers and turrets, a theatre, and opulent frescos across every wall. His wife was his inspiration, the love of his life for her love of life. How then, to carry on, after her passing?

Shannon Walsh’s film embraces camp but eschews mockery: this is a whole-heartedly sincere celebration of a grand romance, created in active collaboration with St-George. Indeed, the movie is really an extension of the house, the paintings and the other artworks, a tribute to Adrianne’s larger than life personality and the artist’s uxorious devotion. That’s not to say it ignores questions about the nature of love, power dynamics, bereavement and body types—it also offers a refreshingly nuanced take on the relationship between artist and muse, for example—but ultimately we can only surrender to this life-long love affair.

Oct 25: Costume ball with prizes & special guest Q&A; doors at 6:30 pm

Oct 26: Q&A with a Death Witch from Raven’s Veil

or all its wistful magic, Adrianne & the Castle is a film about grief and what happens when you lose the very thing that defined your life up to that point […] In keeping the fantasy alive, Walsh seems to honor Adrianne’s wishes to forge a magical world of her own. That’s what makes Adrianne & the Castle feel so very special.

Clint Worthington, rogerebert.com