Like Anne Hathaway’s character in Rachel Getting Married, the heroine of Mary Goes Round has found herself at a crossroads: after a particularly brutal binge that lands her with a DUI–and on YouTube–her boyfriend calls it quits. Mary (Aya Cash deftly inhabits this complex character) also loses her job as (ironically) a substance abuse councilor. With no where to go, Mary returns to her hometown of Niagara Falls, Ontario, forcing her to face her estranged father.
Loosely based on events from writer-director Molly McGlynn’s own life, Mary Goes Round doesn’t shy away from diving into the difficult questions around addiction, family and the wounds we try to hide—all with comic flourishes. Far from reveling in tragedy, McGlynn finds tenderness and humor in life’s darkest moments, suggesting there’s a way forward if we have the courage to face past and begin to heal.
