Skip to main content
Adrianne & the Castle film image; man's body with a frog head stands in fancy palace room

Adrianne & the Castle

This event has passed

“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

Director

Shannon Walsh

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2024

Language

English

19+
86 min

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits

Producer

Ina Fichman

Screenwriter

Laurel Sprengelmeyer, Shannon Walsh

Cinematography

Pablo Alvarez-Mesa

Editor

Sophie Farkas Bolla

Original Music

Richard Reed Parry

Production Design

Nalo Soyini Bruce

Also Playing

Sumo Do, Sumo Don't

Dir. Masayuki Suô
103 min

This hilarious sports underdog story from the director of Shall We Dance won 5 Japan Academy Awards including Best Film, and was the inspiration for the recent Disney+ spin off series.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
More info

Sold Out

Endless Cookie

Dir. Seth Scriver & Peter Scriver
97 min

The less you know about Endless Cookie beforehand, the better you will be prepared. Seriously.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Lust, Caution

Dir. Ang Lee
158 min

Each month we showcase a movie selected by one of our VIFF+ Premium members. This month, Shanwen Yan chooses Ang Lee's erotic WWII spy 2007 thriller, starring Tany Wei, Tony Leung and Joan Chen.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Shall We Dance?

Dir. Masayuki Suô
137 min

Masayuki Suô's delightful and charming 1996 film was a box office smash and won 14 Japanese Academy Awards including Best Film. It's the story of a married salaryman who falls in love with... dance.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre