“The Bastard Sings the Sweetest Song is one the most melancholic and poignant true stories ever told.” - Film Threat
Muscle ekes out a living in Georgetown, Guyana raising fighting cocks and songbirds, but he’s also trying to get his mother Mary off the booze. At 75, Mary’s had a number of falls wandering outside the family compound, looking for a drink. Mary drinks to forget though she’s still able to recite by heart some of her lost poems to family who listen with love and admiration. Her determination to thwart Muscle, and his attempts to control her drinking, has led her son to take more drastic action.
Sensitive and profound, tragic and life-affirming, this is a searching film about family, and a son’s flawed but brave attempts to care for his mother.
“Universally profound” – Exclaim Magazine
opens January 18th – one week- only at The Royal, 608 College St., Toronto
screening times:
Friday January 18th @ 7pm
Saturday January 19th @ 7pm and 9:15pm
Sunday January 20th @ 4:30pm and 7pm
Monday January 21st @ 7pm
Wednesday January 23rd @ 7pm
Thursday January 24th @ 7pm
THE BASTARD SINGS THE SWEETEST SONG marks the first Canadian-Danish documentary co-production and afforded Garland the opportunity to work with Lars von Trier’s picture editor, Molly Stensgaard (Melancholia, Dancer in the Dark, The Boss of it All) and Sound Designer, Peter Albrechtsen (Antichrist, The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo)
THE BASTARD SINGS THE SWEETEST SONG grew from the 2007 Walrus Article, “Dem’s Fightin’ Birds” by Larry FrolickAfter premiering at Hot Docs 2012 and Sheffield Doc/Fest 2012, The Bastard has just picked up Best Caribbean Feature by an International Filmmaker at the Trinidad & Tobago International Film Festival 2012.
Director: Christy Garland
Producers: Chris Bennett /Christy Garland (Murmur Film (Canada))
Executive producer: Daniel Iron
Co-producer: Anne Köhncke (Denmark)
Co-producer: Margarete Jangård, WG Film (Sweden)
Cinematography: Justin Lovell / Christy Garland
Editor: Charlotte Munch Bengtsen
Editor consultant: Molly Malene Stensgaard
Composer: Tom Third
Sound: Peter Albrechtsen, Tonemasters DK
