Films & Schedules - CANADA

In this quirky road movie about two bickering brothers traveling to Los Angeles, various encounters with local flora, fauna, and inevitable oddballs contribute to the tender, hilarious panorama of these men and their lives.

The setting of this quirky, comic road movie is the greater county of Los Angeles, from the city to the surrounding desert. Along for the ride are two estranged siblings: overbearing older brother Michael (Adam Scott), a failed novelist, and Tobey (Joel Bissonnette), an actor, whom Michael has reluctantly agreed to ferry to various destinations and errands. But it’s Michael’s birthday and this isn’t exactly how he’d planned to celebrate. As events unfold, it becomes clear that the agenda of the trip isn’t what it seemed and issues of trust resurface just when the brothers are forging a new bond. Various mysterious encounters with off-the-radar oddballs prove, in the film’s final moments, to be tightly woven threads in the real, underlying story.

Filmography: Looking For Leonard (02), Who Loves the Sun (06).

Sponsored by Ace Hotel.

85 Minutes    

Interests: Narrative Feature.

A lonely orphan's life is transformed by an extraordinary woman who teaches him to conquer grief and discover the magic in nature and himself.

Set on the beautiful Irish coast, Sarin’s warm, emotional film tells a story of acceptance, kindness, and the healing power of love. Eight-year-old Tomas’ gentleness makes his life difficult. His helpful nature is interpreted as weakness and the other boys at the orphanage bully him. Then one day, a kind woman named Maire sweeps in and infuses his once-cheerless existence with love, laughter, and the belief in magic. After Maire whisks him away to her home on enchanted Corrie Island off the West Coast, Tomas grows and comes into his own—but Maire’s reserved husband can’t hide his lack of interest in the child. Just when Tomas begins to come out of his shell and see the goodness in the world and the people around him, Maire’s delicate health takes a turn for the worse. Will her husband, who has not accepted Tomas as his son, be able to step up to the responsibility of caring for Tomas as Maire has done?

Filmography: Cold Comfort (89), Deluxe Combo (04), Partition (07).

100 Minutes    

Interests: Narrative Feature, Family Fare.

Love, identity, and role-playing games all come together in this meshing of myth and reality. A man enters a LARP (Live Action Role Playing) game to find his girlfriend, who has left him for the game. His refusal to role-play angers the dedicated players and sets fantasy and reality on a collision course, capturing the potentially dangerous intersection of actual and made-up worlds.

In a dark forest, a battle is brewing between the power-hungry Celts, the rampaging Vikings, the secretive wood elves, and a mysterious shaman who is about to unleash his latest fiendish scheme. Clever, funny, and intense, The Wild Hunt is set in the fantasy-reality of a large role-playing game, and the plot mirrors the legend behind the game. Erik goes looking for his girlfriend, Evelyn, who has left him for the game. He will need the help of his brother Bjorn, who happens to be the Viking leader and owner of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. Erik’s entry into the game angers the dedicated players when he refuses to role-play, setting fantasy and reality on a collision course. Capturing the potentially dangerous intersection of actual and made-up worlds, Franchi’s film is a timely, potent comment on the modern yearning for ritual and the consuming nature of adopting another identity.

First Feature Film.

Best Canadian First Feature Film, Toronto International Film Festival.

96 Minutes    

Interests: New Directors, Narrative Feature.