The cold silver grey ocean waters, the murky swaying fog that carries itsstrange and spiritual history among the village residents, and the grippingemotional roller coaster journeys and discoveries that effect the heartsand minds within each character are as essential and moving as is painfuland mourningly bleak at times. But through it all, lives will carry on andheads will be held high because of belief, motivation, and love.

R.G. Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) is a meek and lonely man whose empty childhoodwas filled with demeaning remarks and the feeling of being consideredpractically useless by his father. As an adult, he's stuck in a go-nowherejob and he still feels painfully insecure with others, with his life, andmostly, as a man.

One day, Quoyle finds himself watching a beautiful young woman, named Petal(Cate Blanchett), through his car window. While fighting with a man, Petalsees Quoyle watching her so she abruptly helps herself into Quoyle's carand tells him to drive. Petal proceeds to manipulate Quoyle into a freemeal and then into marriage as his nasty, disrespectful, adulterous wife.She gives birth to their daughter Bunny (Alyssa/Kaitlyn/Lauren Gainer), butwants nothing to do with her or Quoyle, other than crashing at his house asshe carries on with her life, gallivanting around, seeking out the nextbest guy with flowing cash coming out between his ears.

Within a short timeframe, drastic events begin to unfold: the suicide ofQuoyle's parents, Petal's sale of Bunny to a black marketer for some fastcash with her new man, and the introduction to Quoyle's Aunt Agnes (JudiDench) who wants to pay her final "respects" to the ashes of Quoyle'sfather as she gives her support to Quoyle in his time of need. However,some good news does arrive; Bunny returns safely to her father, but news ofher mother is not as cheery.

Quoyle's and Bunny's shabby world begins an amazing transformation as theyreturn with Aunt Agnes to their family homestead in Newfoundland where theweak, crumbling family house has stood empty for 44 years, held down withcables so it won't blow away when furious storms arrive. This housebreathes its own air of mystery and speaks of sadness, but the only one whoseems to be listening is Bunny.

As Quoyle and Bunny try to fit into and understand the new place they'vecome to call home, Quoyle finds work as a reporter for "The Gammy Bird," alocal newspaper owned by Jack Buggit (Scott Glenn), a fisherman whose lifeseems to belong to the sea in more ways than you might think. Quoyle's mainassignment is covering car accidents, something that will rear its uglyhead, as he battles the demons rising to find peace within himself and hiswork.

Quoyle gets pointers, from Billy Pretty (Gordon Pinsent), on delivering agood piece of juicy journalism that'll knock the fishing boots off thevillagers, develops a friendship with Beaufield Nutbeem (Rhys Ifans), theinternational man of news, and experiences a bit of rival competition withthe managing editor, Tert Card (Pete Postlethwaite).

Companionship with a woman named Wavey (Julianne Moore), who runs a daycare, brings goodness to Quoyle, which is something he hasn't experiencedwith a woman before even though Wavey has a home life with her own share oftroubles. Still, she opens her heart and home to Quoyle who, in return,displays his own remarkableness to Wavey. Bunny, too, finds friendship withWavey's son Herry (Will McAllister), a little boy whose birth defect causeshim to be shunned by the other children.

The Shipping News sets sail with a great cast that brings their talentstogether and creates a movie with genuine emotion while conveying theimportance of self-confidence, acceptance of others, and the courage toface one's problems in life. The roles performed are immediately strong,touchingly warm, and genuinely funny. Gorgeous music, reminiscent of thesongs of angels, is the Academy Award Nominated score by Christopher Youngthat plays such an important role in framing this picture's mood.

An emotionally sensitive, heartbreaking and caring story that handles manymoments of tenderness and disturbing circumstances surrounding folks in asmall village town. What makes this story so inspiring is its demonstrationof healing while also allowing people to regain hope in the future and tosee the good within others.