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      The Law of Enclosures

      2001 1h 51m Drama List
      Reviews 33% 50+ Ratings Audience Score For 40 years, Henry and Beatrice have been stuck in their marriage, stuck in 1991, stuck watching the Gulf War on TV from the moment they meet until the hour of their death. "The Law of Enclosures" cuts back and forth between the passionate beauty of their first year together and their final months, when they rediscover their great, consuming love for one another. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member A stunning disappointment, especially after the unbelievable triumph of Greyson's prior Lilies. It seems that for this film, Greyson unleashed his inner pretentious art filmmaker, and the results are as boring and, well, PRETENTIOUS as expected. A film about love and relationships has the potential for beautiful minimalism and simplicity. Unfortunately, Greyson piles on the metaphors with reckless abandon. For one, he attempts to draw pointless parallels between relationships and the first Gulf War. The analogy doesn't at all enhance our understanding of the natures of love and relationships beyond what the characters and screenplay already make clear, which makes for quite the pointless parallel. Love is war. Right, tell me something I didn't already know. Oh, throw in a silly deer as a metaphor for... well, something. Again, it doesn't tell us anything beyond the explicit level of the main plotline. So yeah, it's pointless and PRETENTIOUS!!!! Dialogue is stunningly banal, with a lot of cheesy "I want you inside me" lines. Acting aside from the always-capable Brendan Fletcher is mediocre at best and downright lethargic at worst. Sarah Polley, naturally, is God-awful. Also a surprise is the blandness of Greyson's direction. Aside from the final shot, there is nothing particularly striking here visually, which, again, makes for a pretty boring experience for the eye. There ARE some shots which scream "I'M DIRECTING," but even those are too few and far between to wake spectators up. Music is intrusive, and it sounds quite similar to nails on a chalkboard. Overall, one of the best parts of this tremendous misfires is the closing credits. And I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain why. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member midly depressing story of some midly depressing people Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Law of Enclosures

      The Law of Enclosures (2001) The Law of Enclosures (2001) The Law of Enclosures (2001) The Law of Enclosures (2001) The Law of Enclosures (2001) Diane Ladd stars as Bea and Sean McCann stars as Hank in the John Greyson film LAW OF ENCLOSURES, an Odeon Films Inc. release Director John Greyson on the set of LAW OF ENCLOSURES, an Odeon Films Inc. release Shirley Douglas stars as Myra, Sean McCann stars as Hank, and Diane Ladd stars as Bea in the John Greyson film LAW OF ENCLOSURES, an Odeon Films Inc. release Sarah Polly stars as Beatrice and Brendan Fletcher stars as Henry in the John Greyson film LAW OF ENCLOSURES, an Odeon Films Inc. release Brendan Fletcher stars as Henry and Sarah Polly stars as Beatrice in the John Greyson film LAW OF ENCLOSURES, an Odeon Films Inc. release View more photos

      Critics Reviews

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      Globe and Mail Rated: 2/4 Mar 22, 2002 Full Review Cheryl DeWolfe Apollo Guide Rated: 58/100 Feb 2, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis For 40 years, Henry and Beatrice have been stuck in their marriage, stuck in 1991, stuck watching the Gulf War on TV from the moment they meet until the hour of their death. "The Law of Enclosures" cuts back and forth between the passionate beauty of their first year together and their final months, when they rediscover their great, consuming love for one another.
      Director
      John Greyson
      Screenwriter
      John Greyson, Dale Peck
      Production Co
      Walt Disney Productions
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Aug 27, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 51m