Marlene is a 2020 Canadian docudrama film, directed by Wendy Hill-Tout. The film centres on the case of Steven Truscott, a Canadian man who spent many years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of a murder he did not commit, through the eyes of his wife Marlene.Eric Volmers, "Calgary film retells Steven Truscott's wrongful conviction story through eyes of his wife". Calgary Herald, November 13, 2019.
The film stars Kristin Booth as Marlene Truscott, and Greg Bryk as Steven Truscott.Norman Wilner, "Five buzzy films to stream at the Whistler Film Festival". Now, December 1, 2020. Julia Sarah Stone and Dempsey Bryk also appear as the younger Marlene and Steven in flashback scenes.
The film was shot in 2019, with the working title Chasing Justice. It premiered at the 2020 Calgary International Film Festival.Eric Volmers, "Homegrown cinema: Calgary International Film Festival to put focus on Alberta this year". Calgary Herald, August 20, 2020. It was subsequently screened at the 2020 Whistler Film Festival.
Reception Chris Knight of the National Post gave the film two out of five stars and wrote, "I wish I'd loved Marlene – I was certainly educated by it. But the film tends to overplay its emotional hand, whether through Janal Bechthold's overpowering (and, to its credit, Canadian Screen Award nominated) score or a tendency for the characters to dramatize their every feeling."
Liam Lacey of Original Cin gave the film a C and wrote that it's "a melodramatic muddle, a flashback-loaded, over-orchestrated, and confusing legal story wrapped in a gauzy romance story."
Awards Janal Bechthold received an aforementioned Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Original Score at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021. The film was a runner-up for the 2020 Whistler Film Festival Audience Award.Craig Takeuchi, "Québécois folk artist documentary wins 2020 Whistler Film Festival Audience Award". The Georgia Straight, December 28, 2020.
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