The Hanging Garden

Canadian director, Thom Fitzgerald’s breakout film, made 22 years ago, has become one of the most iconic, important pieces in the history of LGBT filmmaking.
This family drama takes us into William’s world – a young man living in the city who had severed all ties with his family and is now forced to head back to his home town for his sister’s wedding.
The pastoral, conservative small town forces him to confront his violent father, emotionally distant mother, his sister who is marrying his teenage love, his demented grandmother, a blind dog and a big secret that’s been kept from him. Fitzgerald weaves with finesse, a lot of touching humor and surreal scenes into this intimate, complicated drama which illustrates the protagonists’ inability to break away from their past, as well as some breathtaking cinematography of the flowers growing in the family’s garden. The result, to this day remains moving and of exceptional quality.