Mustard Bath (film)
Encyclopedia
Mustard Bath is a 1993 Canadian film written and directed by Darrell Wasyk
.
on receiving a letter from his mother three months after her death. Prompted by his surroundings to sort through the idealized memories of his childhood, Matthew reaches the horrifying realization that he has returned to a world which he was never a part of. Contemporary Guyanese
reality highlights the white colonialist privilege his family had enjoyed.
Retroactively homeless and nostalgically orphaned, he throws himself into his work at an underfunded and under equipped Georgetown
hospital, developing a fatherly devotion to Dexter, a young orphaned boy housed at the local orphanage. Matthew spends endless nights with a ghostly old Hungarian woman who stumbles about the hallways of his hotel, spying on him with longing. She offers Matthew the comfort he has been seeking in the memories of his mother, seducing him with cigarettes and warm rum, and terrifying stories of being captured and raped by soldiers of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Slowly, even these marginal connections to reality disintegrated, and Matthew finds himself utterly alone.
, South America
.
Much of the movie’s soundtrack is credited to Eddy Grant
, and features the Mighty Sparrow
’s hit No Money for Love.
offers a wonderfully nuanced performance as the seething Matthew, brimming with bold and brooding physicality while Martha Henry
cuts through the tropical heat with her chilling portrayal of Matthew’s aging paramour.
won a Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Grace at the 15th Genie Awards
and at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival the film won a Gold Prize for the Best Dramatic Feature Film.
Darrell Wasyk
Darrell Wasyk is a Canadian film director.-Biography:Darrell Wasyk was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada...
.
Plot
Matthew, a young medical student from Toronto, Ontario, returns to his birthplace in GuyanaGuyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
on receiving a letter from his mother three months after her death. Prompted by his surroundings to sort through the idealized memories of his childhood, Matthew reaches the horrifying realization that he has returned to a world which he was never a part of. Contemporary Guyanese
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
reality highlights the white colonialist privilege his family had enjoyed.
Retroactively homeless and nostalgically orphaned, he throws himself into his work at an underfunded and under equipped Georgetown
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
hospital, developing a fatherly devotion to Dexter, a young orphaned boy housed at the local orphanage. Matthew spends endless nights with a ghostly old Hungarian woman who stumbles about the hallways of his hotel, spying on him with longing. She offers Matthew the comfort he has been seeking in the memories of his mother, seducing him with cigarettes and warm rum, and terrifying stories of being captured and raped by soldiers of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Slowly, even these marginal connections to reality disintegrated, and Matthew finds himself utterly alone.
Cast
- Michael RileyMichael RileyMichael Riley is a Canadian actor and graduate of the National Theatre School in Montreal, Canada in 1984. Riley's first appearance was in the film No Man's Land...
as Matthew Linden - Martha HenryMartha HenryMartha Henry, is a Canadian stage, film, and television actress, who is best known for her appearances at the Stratford Festival.-Background:...
as Grace - Tantoo CardinalTantoo CardinalRose Marie "Tantoo" Cardinal, CM is a Canadian film and television actress.-Career:Cardinal was born in Anzac, Fort McMurray, Alberta. Her mother, Julia Cardinal, was a Métis of Cree descent...
as Sister Amantha - Eddy GrantEddy GrantEdmond Montague "Eddy" Grant is a musician, born in Plaisance, Guyana.- Life and career :When he was still a young boy, his parents emigrated to London, UK, where he settled. He lived in Kentish Town and went to school at the Acland Burghley Secondary Modern at Tufnell Park...
as Rasta Fad’dah - Elizabeth ShepherdElizabeth ShepherdElizabeth Shepherd is an English character actress whose work has spanned the stage and both the big and small screens. Her surname has been alternately billed as "Shephard" and "Sheppard"....
as Matthew's Mother
Production
Mustard Bath was filmed in GuyanaGuyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Much of the movie’s soundtrack is credited to Eddy Grant
Eddy Grant
Edmond Montague "Eddy" Grant is a musician, born in Plaisance, Guyana.- Life and career :When he was still a young boy, his parents emigrated to London, UK, where he settled. He lived in Kentish Town and went to school at the Acland Burghley Secondary Modern at Tufnell Park...
, and features the Mighty Sparrow
Mighty Sparrow
Mighty Sparrow or Birdie is a calypso singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Known as the "Calypso King of the World," he is one of the most well-known and successful calypsonians...
’s hit No Money for Love.
Performance
Michael RileyMichael Riley
Michael Riley is a Canadian actor and graduate of the National Theatre School in Montreal, Canada in 1984. Riley's first appearance was in the film No Man's Land...
offers a wonderfully nuanced performance as the seething Matthew, brimming with bold and brooding physicality while Martha Henry
Martha Henry
Martha Henry, is a Canadian stage, film, and television actress, who is best known for her appearances at the Stratford Festival.-Background:...
cuts through the tropical heat with her chilling portrayal of Matthew’s aging paramour.
Awards
Martha HenryMartha Henry
Martha Henry, is a Canadian stage, film, and television actress, who is best known for her appearances at the Stratford Festival.-Background:...
won a Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Grace at the 15th Genie Awards
15th Genie Awards
-Best Motion Picture:*Exotica, Atom Egoyan and Camelia Frieberg, producers*Double Happiness, Rose Lam Waddell and Stephen Hegyes, producers*Louis 19, le roi des ondes, Jacques Dorfmann and Richard Sadler, producers...
and at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival the film won a Gold Prize for the Best Dramatic Feature Film.