Dolls, Dolls, Dolls, Dolls

An episode from the "The Shields Stories”, an anthology series based on short stories by Carol Shields, which received multiple Genie nominations and awards (the precursor to the Canadian Screen Awards) amongst which, a nomination for best dramatic series. I was creative producer and story editor on the series and wrote and directed two of the episodes. In her book “Various Miracles”, Shields’ story “Dolls, Dolls, Dolls, Dolls” comprises four separate anecdotes presented through one character, each anecdote featuring dolls, and human beings’ strange and universal desire to nurture inanimate objects. As is often the case in Shields’ novels and stories, the surface is deceptively light but the stuff roiling beneath is anything but. This TV film attempts to embody the complex layering of tones that Shields’ achieves, and the thematic and emotional impact of the story.