The Cider House rules

John Irving won an Academy Award for his script to the film which is based on his acclaimed novel of the same name. Set in the lush green landscape of mid-century North East United States, ‘The Cider House rules’ stars Tobey McGuire as Homer, a bright young man who has spent his whole life in St. Cloud’s Orphanage. The institution’s doctor and leader, Wilbur Lynch (Michael Caine), wants Homer to take over his duties in the orphanage. But Homer wants to see more of the world and to experience life outside the safety of St. Clouds. He goes on the road and begins work as a farm-hand in an apple orchard. There he experiences love for the first time, but he is also introduced to the harsh realities of life. Witnessing incest and betrayal for the first time in his life, Homer has to rethink his self-righteous beliefs about single motherhood, adoption and abortion. Though the film deals with controversial subjects and themes, it is a revisionist piece of filmmaking. The sharp lyrical cinematography is by Oliver Stapelton, while Irving’s script and Hallstrom’s direction is classical in structure. But though its mise-en-scene may be nostalgic, in suggesting the darker forces at play in the social order of post-World War II North America, ‘The Cider House rules’ never allows its emotional resonances to slip into sentimentality. The cast is uniformally excellent and Michael Caine won an Academy Award for his performance.