Margaret's Museum is a 1995 Canadian-British drama directed by Mort Ransen and based on Sheldon Currie's novel The Glace Bay Miners' Museum. Plot Set in the 1940s in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the film tells the story of a young girl living in a coal mining town where the death of men from accidents in "the pit" (the mines) has become almost routine. Margaret MacNeil (Helena Bonham Carter) has already lost her father and an older brother and for her, life alone would be preferable to marrying a mine worker—that is until the charming Neil Currie (Clive Russell) shows up. Against the wishes of her hard-bitten mother (Kate Nelligan) they marry, but, before long, financial woes lead to his doing what every other uneducated young man does in the town: take a job underground. His death in the mine, along with her younger brother, drives Margaret to a mental breakdown and, in her surreal world, she decides to create a "special" museum to the memories of all those who have died as a result of the horrific mining conditions. Cast Helena Bonham Carter as Margaret MacNeil Clive Russell as Neil Currie Craig Olejnik as Jimmy MacNeil Kate Nelligan as Catherine MacNeil Kenneth Welsh as Angus MacNeil Andrea Morris as Marilyn Production notes Part of Margaret's Museum was filmed in the UK. It carried significance in the local area of Newtongrange, Scotland as the screen debut of local TV celebrity David MacBeath, who appeared as an extra in the film. Awards and nominations External links 1995 films English-language Canadian films Scottish Gaelic-language films Canadian drama films Films based on Canadian novels Films set in Nova Scotia Films about labour Films about mining Films about grieving Films about widowhood Mass media portrayals of the working class Museums in popular culture Fictional museums Films shot in Nova Scotia 1995 drama films British drama films Films shot in Edinburgh Films directed by Mort Ransen 1990s Canadian films 1990s British films