The Hanging Garden

An adult William returns to the family home in rural Nova Scotia for his sister Rosemary's wedding, carrying a life split between memory and reality. He navigates a tangle of loyalties, guilt, and unresolved trauma that began with the teenage crisis. His struggle centers on whether events truly occurred or exist only as memory, making him a bridge between past and present.

The teenage William is a sensitive presence navigating closeness with Rosemary and a volatile environment shaped by his alcoholic father. His encounter with Fletcher becomes a catalyst that exposes him to love, risk, and the vulnerability of coming of age. The crisis tests his loyalties and sets in motion the generational trauma that threads through the film.

Rosemary is William's sister, preparing for a wedding that should symbolize family continuity but becomes a pressure point for unresolved history. She embodies protective instinct and a stubborn tenderness as she negotiates loyalties within a fragile kinship. Her choices reveal the complexities of care, blame, and forgiveness in a family learning to hold its past.

The teenage Rosemary is a close ally to William, caught in a precarious moment that exposes the family to danger. Her friendships, loyalties, and protective instincts illuminate the tenderness and fragility of adolescence under pressure. Her role situates the family dynamics in the crucible of a moment that will ripple across generations.

Fletcher is William's bisexual friend whose relationship with the siblings acts as a catalyst for the crisis. He becomes a tension point around desire, loyalty, and protection, challenging the family to face truths they would rather obscure. His presence pushes characters toward vulnerable self-discovery and difficult choices.

Iris is the mother who strives to shield her children from Whiskey's destabilizing influence, embodying resilience and fragility in equal measure. Her attempts to protect can falter under pressure, yet her love remains a quiet anchor for the family. She bears the weight of keeping the past from overwhelming the present.

Dusty Miller, the grandmother, wields authority in the family and triggers a cascade of consequences with her actions. She embodies a figure of control whose choices ripple through generations. Her role frames the moral and emotional stakes that define the family’s fate.

Whiskey Mac is the alcoholic father whose destabilizing presence haunts the family dynamic. His violence or volatility intensifies fear and complicates trust and safety within the household. He stands as a symbol of external threat that compounds the internal trauma.

Violet is the newly revealed pre-teen sister, born after William left, whom the family has not fully met. Her presence in the present reveals the long tail of the past and who remains to inherit the family memory. She embodies the possibility of renewal amid inherited wounds.