''Martha, Ruth and Edie'' is a Canadian drama film, released in 1988. An anthology film directed by

Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta, (; born 1 January 1950) is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996 film), ''Fire'' (1996), ''Earth (1998 film), Earth'' (1998), and ''Water (2005 film), Water'' (2005 ...

, Norma Bailey and Danielle J. Suissa, the film centres on the titular Martha ( Jennifer Dale), Ruth ( Andrea Martin) and Edie ( Lois Maxwell), who meet after being locked out of the auditorium at a personal development seminar, and instead share personal stories from their own lives among themselves. Each of their stories is a dramatization of a short story by a Canadian writer, and is directed by one of the three credited directors. " How I Met My Husband", directed by Bailey from the short story by Alice Munro, depicts how Edie's brief teenage romantic fling with a visiting pilot, followed by her persistent but unfulfilled hope that he will write her letters after he leaves, ultimately leads to her meeting and marrying the mailman. (Edie is played by Margaret Langrick in the flashback.) "California Aunts", directed by Mehta from the story by Cynthia Flood, depicts the transformation of Ruth's life as a smalltown librarian after her mother dies and her aunts come to stay with her. "Guilt", directed by Suissa from the story by

Betty Lambert Betty Lambert, born Elizabeth Minnie Lee (August 23, 1933 – November 4, 1983) was a Canadian writer. Lambert was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Christopher and Bessie Lee (née Cooper), the oldest of three daughters. She graduated from th ...

, depicts Martha taking a new job teaching English in a prison after her husband leaves her for another woman. The film's supporting cast includes Helen Hughes,

Tom Jackson Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, Frank Moore, Chuck Shamata, Tom Butler and

Kate Trotter Kate Trotter (born February 5, 1953) is a Canadian film, television and stage actress. Career Her television roles have included appearances in '' Wild Roses'', ''Covert Affairs'', ''Lost Girl'', '' The Newsroom'', ''Paradise Falls'', '' Earth: F ...

. Hughes received a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the

10th Genie Awards The 10th Genie Awards were held on March 22, 1989."Dead Ringers tops at Genies". ''Montreal Gazette'', March 23, 1989. This was in the middle of a strike at the CBC, causing the ceremony to be scaled down and several nominees to boycott the awards ...

in 1989."List of nominees for the Genie Awards". '' Montreal Gazette'', February 14, 1989.

References

External links

* 1988 drama films 1988 films Canadian anthology films Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films Fictional trios Films directed by Deepa Mehta Films directed by Norma Bailey Films based on short fiction Films based on works by Alice Munro 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films {{1980s-Canada-film-stub