Small Town Murder Songs (Ed Gass-Donnely, 2010): Canada

Reviewed by Laura Horstmann. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Director Ed Gass-Donnelly turns the crime drama on it’s head with his second feature film, Small Town Murder Songs.  What first appears to be the story of a murder in a mundane rural Canadian town turns unexpectedly into a stylized character study revolving around the universal themes of redemption and reinvention of one’s self.

Peter Stormare, known best for his roles in “Armageddon” and “Fargo”, is almost unrecognizable as Walter, a heavyset mustached small-town cop searching for redemption from his violent past. As he struggles to gain back the trust and respect of his family and town, a disturbing murder case sets the stage for Walter’s battle for self-control.

What “Small Town Murder Songs” lacks in plot it makes up for in visual stimulation and a phenomenal soundtrack. With slow motion brightly colored flashbacks and interspersed still shots of gorgeous Canadian landscapes overlaid with religious quote the director makes many bold style choices that proved a body for the weak script and push the film along. But it’s the music, performed by indie-rock band “Bruce Peninsula”, that gives that body a soul. Their original style blends a wide variety of genres that provides an audial parallel to the storm in Walter’s heart and soul.

Steamroller-Bruce Peninsula