In the early 1900s, Sarah (Saskia Reeves) and her mother go to work on a farm in rural Ireland as servants. The father of the family dies in an accident, but Sarah stays on with the two brothers. Her relationship with them becomes more complex and involved, to the chagrin of her mother and everyone else in the community. Eventually Sarah renounces the church and bears a child by one of the two men, but refuses to name the father. The three become pariahs in the town, as one brother is savagely beaten at an Orange Society gathering. December Bride goes a long way in dealing with what one character calls "the three curses of Ireland: England, religion, and drink." Its slow pace, florid dialogue, and dreary narrative are offset by the thought-provoking nature of the story. Director Thaddeus O"Sullivan uses the Emerald Isle"s gorgeous settings to full advantage in his shot compositions, with the landscape almost seeming like a separate character at times. Those who can live with the film"s admittedly poky tempo will be rewarded with an absorbing tale of a hard life in 1909 Ireland. --Jerry Renshaw