Director Lasse Hallstrom's last two films, "The Cider House Rules" and "Chocolat," were glossy, pretty-looking pictures
about gentle people with gentle souls. "The Shipping News" is no different in that respect. It also perpetuates Hallstrom's tendency to treat emotionally huge issues in a very non-huge way. "Cider House Rules" had abortion, "Chocolat" had spousal abuse (one frying pan to the head, and the problem is solved!), and now "Shipping News" has a brief flashback in which we learn someone was the victim of incest rape at age 12, and that it resulted in a pregnancy. But it's all better now, and we need never mention it again! (There's also exactly one reference to a child having been sold to a black-market adoption agency. One line, nothing more.)
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