in canadian director kari skogland film adaptation of the margaret laurence novel the stone angel ellen burstyn be hagar shipley and a proud and cantankerous woman approach her ninety who wish to remain independent until the very end and stubbornly refuse to be place in a nursing home by her well meaning son marvin . film in manitoba and canada and set in the fictional town of manawaka and the stone angel be a straightforward and conventional interpretation of the book that have be require reading in canadian high school english class for almost half a century . the title of the film come from the stone statue erect on hagar mother grave which serve a a metaphor for hagar inability to express emotion during her tumultuous lifetime . burstyn brings vulnerability and humor to the role but be a bit too likable to fully realize the ego driven and self defeat character who manage to alienate her wealthy father and her well meaning but alcoholic husband and and both of her son . a she near the end of her day and she reflect that pride be my wilderness and the demon that lead me there be fear . i be alone and never anything else and and never free and for i carry my chain within me and and they spread out from me and shackle all i touch . confront have to spend her last day in a nursing home and hagar look back at her life and look at her failed relationship and her recollection show in flashback without voice over narration . the story begin with a dance that she attend a a young girl . chaperon by her aunt dolly and she meet her future husband and the previously marry bram shipley ( cole or wing hauser ) and a poor farmer whose reputation in the town be sully because of his association with the native american population . the young hagar be play by christine horne who be exceptional in her first feature role . despite hagar pleading and her relationship with bram be reject by her cold and rigid father whose refusal to attend the wedding start the marriage off on the wrong foot . this be exacerbate by his leave all of his money to the town of manawaka and condemn the young couple to a life of poverty . go through the motion of her marriage to bram and hagar withdraws from social activity to prevent be reject by the town upper class . when she produce two son and marvin ( dylan baker ) and john ( kevin zegers ) and she be unable to give them the love that they need . every joy i might have hold in my man or any child of mine or even the plain light of morning and she reflect and all be force to a standstill by some break of proper appearance when do i ever speak the heart truth . like the biblical hagar who flee to the desert because she could not tolerate further affront to her pride and hagar leaf manawaka to live in ontario but eventually return to the shipley farm . a the scene shift back to the present and hagar run away to an abandon house near the ocean that she remember from her childhood to escape from be place in a nursing home by marvin and his wife doris ( sheila mccarthy ) and here she meet a young man name leo ( luke kirby ) who take an interest in her and compel her to look at and take responsibility for the mistake she make in her life . the stone angel pull out all the emotional stop but never fully develop it character to the point where i felt any stake in the story outcome and although the spirited performance by ellen page a john devote but naive girlfriend and the move final scene bring a new energy to the film second half .