Writer/director Bill Forsyth brings to life this tale, set in the 1950s and based on a novel by Marilynne Robinson, which is neither a sentimental nor simple exploration of familial and emotional bonds. Ruth (Sara Walker) and Lucille (Andrea Burchill) are two young sisters who are abandoned by their mother and raised by a succession of aged relatives, until their unconventional aunt Sylvie (Christine Lahti) arrives like a breath of fresh air. Sylvie has been living on the road for many years, and her life is detached from the norms of the community; she returns home to bittersweet memories and the town's harsh scrutiny. The girls are thrilled to have a charming young role model and Sylvie's new responsibilities offer her a chance for real love, sharing a home, and a sense of family -- all things she has not felt for a long time. Eventually, as Ruth and Lucille's perceptions of Sylvie change, the two girls develop vastly different ways of relating to this eccentric, original woman. Newly remastered.

Aunt Sylvie, an eccentric free-spirit who keeps crackers in her coat for imaginary children and takes a midday nap on the town square bench, returns to her hometown to care for her two orphaned nieces. When the townspeople decide Sylvie must clean up her act, it seems her fantasy world must end - but does it'