Wheeler's Movies Have Heart Canadian Director's World War II Family Drama Was a Highlight of Filmfest DC

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THERE are films like "Tender Mercies," "Norma Rae," and "Driving Miss Daisy" that tug at your heart and won't let go. Canadian director Anne Wheeler's "Bye Bye Blues," which had its United States premiere at the Filmfest DC here, is one of those heart-tuggers, about people so real they could live down the street.

The lethal violence, R- and X-rated eroticism, and drugs that are prevalent in many Hollywood films today are missing from this one about a family torn apart by World War II.

Director Wheeler knew the story well before she shot a frame of film: Her own mother had lived it - braving a harsh life in Canada, raising her children, and waiting for her husband's …