The Stone Angel DVD, 2007

Based on the bestselling novel by Margaret Laurence, The Stone Angel sees Ellen Burstyn star as Hagar Shipley, a feisty octogenarian with a turbulent, unconventional past and whose fierce sense of pride leads her to go on the run when her son and daughter-in-law express their wish to find her a place in a nursing home. From here the film traces two parallel narratives: one following the elderly Hagar as she returns to the now-derelict house by the sea where she once lived with her husband and sons; the other depicting the passions and disappointments of her childhood, adolescence and married life. As she comes to terms with both her past and the present, Hagar is forced to confront her own flaws and face up to the damaging effects her pride has had on those around her.