THE SONG SPINNER

“You Are Entering Shandrilan, Where Silence is Golden” reads the sign at the entrance to an icy kingdom where the reigning monarch has severely outlawed all noise, including music. Especially music. Yet little Auroura hears melodies in her head, even though she's the daughter/apprentice of a master whisperer. Adding to her “disquiet” is the arrival of a mysterious stranger (Patti Lupone) carrying an empty songbird cage and memories of Shandrilan's tuneful past that are key notes to the land's survival. Beautifully filmed in Nova Scotia, THE SONG SPINNER is that rare thing, an all-new fairy tale for all ages that doesn't spoof itself silly, but rather delivers its timeless allegory with grace, understated urgency, and a visual testure reminiscent of a Brueghel painting come to life. Quiet life. Recommended for children 8 and up. – Charles Cassady