Movie Review of "Still Mine"
Against great odds, the good guys won!
Craig Morrison’s wife (Irene) has advancing dementia and he is in his mid-80s. His main source of income is growing strawberries — until a new rule requires that he deliver his strawberries in a refrigerated truck. With his small operation, he cannot afford a refrigerated truck so he is put out of business. He decides the old home on his 2000 acre property in rural New Brunswick is too old and primitive for him and his wife to live in. The wood stove does not keep the big, old house warm enough to keep the toilet from freezing. So, he decides to build a smaller house — where he and his wife can live. Since he has lost his business, he has plenty of time to build his own home.
A couple of their seven kids look in on them and try to help, but Craig is very independent and mostly rejects their assistance and advice. Of course, his building methods are not of the standards required by the authorities. He builds anyway and is finally taken into court by the all-knowing bureaucrats.
I’m thinking that he is not too wise to take on “city hall” but admire his home-building skills and his courage. He is repeatedly visited by a young inspector who comes up with 20 or so violations of building code that are fundamentally impossible to fix without tearing down his new structure and starting over.
Craig happens to be a master builder of wooden structures and his new home is very well built — but it does not impress the inspectors. He has harvested the wood from his own forest, and milled it into lumber — thus, it does not have an official stamp of some kind as required by the inspector. It is the classical example of governmental over-reach. The assumption is that individual citizens are not capable of handling their own affairs so the government must intervene — for their own good.
Anyway, Craig finally explains to the judge that there will be one of two outcomes: he will finish his home and move into it — or he will go to jail. No other option is acceptable. A local newspaper reporter interviews Craig and publishes the story on the front page of his newspaper. There is a swell of public opinion favoring Craig and finally, the judge drops the case — obviously not wanting to send an 85-year-old to jail for the crime of building a house. So Craig and his wife move into their new home and everybody is happy. Except, of course, for the busybody inspector and his ilk.
I especially liked this story because it demonstrates how governmental regulations often do more harm than good. The rules may be written with the very best of intentions, but their rules, laws, and codes so often have harmful consequences.
Pat and I also found it particularly relevant to our own situation — where we wish to maintain our independence — but disturbed sleep patterns due to old age make us more forgetful. We do not wish to be a burden on our kids, but also understand that at some point we will likely be unable to take care of ourselves.
IMDb gives this movie (Still Mine) a 7.4 rating, but — In my humble opinion — this movie deserves a 9.5 out of 10 rating. It is an excellent story and the actors (James Cromwell and Genevieve Bujold) were believable. It’s one of those stories where all the characters are likable — even the young inspector. He is just doing his job and following the rules. The problem is with all the mini-dictators who make and enforce the excessive number of rules and laws that we are forced to live by — and a compliant electorate who put these dangerous folks in positions of power.
As an added benefit, however, it is also a down-to-earth, tender and moving love story.
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