a perhaps one of the few canadian who do not read the book in high school and i think i would add my comment . see the movie without know the story beforehand in no way detract from the film . the character have so many complexity and everyone can relate to them in their own way . the brilliance of the adaptation be that everyone be allow to project their own perception onto the life of the character and rather than be spoon feed an opinion . you can love them or dislike them and and still feel the emotional impact of the movie . wonderful performance by ellen burstyn and christine horne really bring the character to life . i would highly recommend it .