by ani harrison

The Blue Mouse will be hosting the Tacoma premiere of The Immigrant Garden. The movie will be shown on Saturday September 28 starting at noon, and 30 percent of the proceeds will go to the 2003 Proctor Arts Festival for the Proctor District Association. The Immigrant Garden is based on a play by Longview, WA., playwright Caroline Wood. It is produced and directed by C. Tad Devlin, a veteran of Hollywood and a producer on films including George of the Jungle and Sleeping with the Enemy. The movie offers a group of local actors and crewmembers. The film was shot in Washington and is set in Oakville, WA. in 1910.

This is a lovely and lyrical film. The story of Cecily Barnes (Angela Johnson), a motherless teen, struggling to fill an empty hole inside herself. Her father (Curt Harris) is a teacher arid regularly trots his students home to indigestible dinners with Cecily. Her life, she says, seems happy from the outside, but inside Cecily is striving for something else. Then, one day, she stumbles upon a packet of hollyhock seeds at the local mercantile. Even though the company no longer sells seeds, she takes a chance and writes to Mrs. Louise Beauchamp (Beverly Fife) and a friendship-as well as a garden blossom.

The Immigrant Garden is full of wonderful characters brought to life by very competent, if unheard of, actors. Each shines in their role and brings a believability to the film. One of the remarkable things about this film is that, even though it is set in 1910, it is current and the events could just as easily be happening just down the Street. It is also that rarest of films. A non-rated film that adults will enjoy wholeheartedly. It is a film rather like Anne of Green Gables or The Secret Garden, gentle and sincere, and leaves the viewer with a sweet and gentle satisfaction when all is said and done.

Take the opportunity to see this movie before it becomes like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, suddenly appearing at more and more large movie houses, It will give everyone a chance to say “Oh, yeah, well... saw it in the Tacoma premiere!”

The Immigrant Garden will be showing at the Blue Mouse, 2611 N. Proctor St. (752.9500) at noon, 2:00 p.m., 4:oo p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 8:oo p.m. Ticket prices vary and are $8 and $10 in advance and $10 to $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the Blue Mouse; Tacoma Trains, 2525 N. Proctor; Commodore Restaurant 3819 N. 26th; the Discovery Shop 2512 N. Proctor; Pacific Northwest Shop, 2702 N. Proctor and the Old House Mercantile 2717 N. Proctor. For information call The Blue Mouse at 752.9500.