''The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by
Bruce McDonald and released in 2004.
["Movie based on Vancouver juror Gillian Guess 'kooky:' director Bruce McDonald". ]Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
, September 19, 2004. The film is loosely based on the real-life story of
Gillian Guess
Gillian Guess (born 1955) is a Vancouver woman who was convicted in 1998 of obstruction of justice after becoming romantically involved with a murder defendant while she was a juror in his 1995 trial.
Her case became significant because it set le ...
, who was convicted of
obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, is an act that involves unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investigators, or other gov ...
in 1998 after she became romantically involved with an accused murderer while serving as a juror at his trial, although McDonald himself freely admitted that the film takes "kooky" diversions into animated and musical sequences rather than attempting to literally depict the true story;
[ in the adaptation, Guess is recounting her version of the story as a guest on a fictional television show hosted by tabloid talk show host Bobby Tomahawk.
The film stars ]Joely Collins
Joely Collins (born Joely Meri Bertorelli; August 8, 1972) is a British-Canadian actress and producer. She is the daughter of Andrea Bertorelli and of English musician Phil Collins.
Early life
Born and raised largely in Vancouver, British Columbi ...
as Guess, Ben Bass as Peter Gill and Hugh Dillon
Hugh Dillon (born May 31, 1963) is a Canadian singer and actor who is the lead vocalist of rock band Headstones. He is also a film and television actor; his notable roles include Mike Sweeney in '' Durham County,'' Ed Lane in '' Flashpoint'' and ...
as Bobby Tomahawk. The film's score was composed by Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadians, Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Cannin ...
, including their single "Lover's Spit
''You Forgot It in People'' is the second studio album by Canadian indie rock band Broken Social Scene, released on October 15, 2002. It was the band's commercial breakthrough. ''You Forgot It in People'' features intricate, experimental productio ...
", although music by Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...
, Josh Rouse
Josh Rouse (born March 9, 1972) is an American folk/roots pop singer-songwriter. Originally from Nebraska, Rouse began his recording career in Nashville in 1998 and later relocated to Spain. In 2014, Rouse won a Spanish Goya Film Award in the c ...
and Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir
The Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir is a Canadian indie rock band led by Hugh Dillon and based in Kingston, Ontario. The band's style draws from country, pop, punk and new wave influences.
History
Dillon formed the band in Kingston in 2004. Le ...
was also used.[
The film premiered at the ]2004 Toronto International Film Festival
The 29th Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 9 through September 18. The festival screened 328 films of which 253 were features and 75 were shorts (148 of the films screened were in a language other than English).
Awards
No fi ...
, but apart from some follow-up film festival and repertory theatre screenings it was distributed primarily as a television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
on Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The licence of the original Citytv station, granted the callsign of CITY-TV by the CRTC on November 25, 1971 to Cable Television Ass ...
rather than going into general theatrical release.
It was a finalist for Best Motion Picture at the Leo Awards
The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Held each May or June in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Leo Awards were founded by the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British C ...
in 2005, and for Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries at the 21st Gemini Awards
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's 21st Gemini Awards were held on November 4, 2006, to honour achievements in Canadian television. The awards show, which was co-hosted by several celebrities, took place at the River Rock Casino Resort ...
. Collins won the award for Best Actress in a Canadian Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2004
5th VFCC Awards
February 20, 2005
----
Best Film:
Sideways
----
Best Canadian Film:
Childstar
The 5th Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2004 in film, 2004, were given on 20 February 2005.
Winners In ...
.["'Elvis Costello of movies' wins top local prize". '']The Province
''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the ''Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's only ...
'', January 20, 2005.
References
External links
*
2004 films
2004 drama films
Canadian drama television films
Films set in Vancouver
Films shot in Vancouver
Films directed by Bruce McDonald
English-language Canadian films
2000s English-language films
2000s Canadian films
{{2000s-Canada-film-stub