Weirdos (film)
| Weirdos | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Weirdos | |
| Directed by | Bruce McDonald |
| Written by | Daniel MacIvor |
| Produced by | Marc Almon Mike MacMillan |
| Starring | Dylan Authors Julia Sarah Stone Molly Parker Allan Hawco Cathy Jones Rhys Bevan-John |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 min |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.3 million |
Weirdos is a 2016 Canadian drama film directed by Bruce McDonald and written by Daniel MacIvor. It debuted at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.[1]
Set in Nova Scotia in 1976, it stars Dylan Authors as Kit, a teenager living in Antigonish who decides to run away to live with his mother in Sydney.[2]
Plot
[edit]Kit (Dylan Authors) is a 15-year-old living in a small town in Nova Scotia with his single father Dave (Allan Hawco) and grandmother Mary (Cathy Jones). He is dating Alice (Julia Sarah Stone) despite being unsure of his own sexuality. Deciding that he wants to go live with his mother Laura (Molly Parker) in Sydney, he enlists Alice's help to embark on a hitchhiking trip. Throughout the trip, Kit has regular imaginary conversations with Andy Warhol (Rhys Bevan-John), who has appointed himself Kit's "spirit animal".
Cast
[edit]| Actor | Character |
| Dylan Authors | Kit |
| Julia Sarah Stone | Alice |
| Molly Parker | Laura |
| Allan Hawco | Dave |
| Cathy Jones | Mary |
| Vi Tang | Mr. Po |
| Alex Purdy | Jack |
| Aria Publicover | Jeanie |
| Max Humphreys | Leo |
| Dominique Leblanc | Marylou |
| Deivan Steele | Nalin |
| Stephen McHattie | Priest |
| Mateo Giovannetti | Beans |
| Kathryn MacLellan | Waitress |
| Gary Levert | Joe |
| Francine Deschepper | Val |
| Jonathan Torrens | Torso of American Man |
| John Dunsworth | Drunk Driver |
| Jim McSwain | Artistic Roommate |
Production
[edit]The film was shot in colour and later converted to black and white. McDonald said, "It's always difficult to shoot black and white because the powers that be, or the funders, are often wanting colour because colour is a bit more normal. (But) in the independent world, sometimes it does offer you those other kind of freedoms like, 'Let's go black and white!' And it's not for everybody, but a lot of people are like, 'Wow, that's just so beautiful in black and white.'"[4]
The film's soundtrack includes a predominantly Canadian lineup of rock and pop songs from the era, including Harry Nilsson's "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City", Lighthouse's "Love of a Woman", Gordon Lightfoot's "Summer Side of Life" and "Cotton Jenny", Rush's "Finding My Way", Edward Bear's "Last Song", The Stampeders' "Carry Me", Crowbar's "Oh, What a Feeling", FM's "Phasers on Stun", Patsy Gallant's "From New York to L.A.", Labi Siffre's "Crying Laughing Loving Lying", Murray McLauchlan's "Down by the Henry Moore" and Anne Murray's "Snowbird".
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93%, based on 14 reviews, and an average rating of 6.9/10.[5]
Adam Nayman of Cinema Scope stated, "It's nice that this latest work by a filmmaker who has sometimes chased hipness past its expiration date concludes on a note of deliberate, intergenerational non-cool."[6] Brent Mcknight of The Seattle Times remarked, "The young leads are charming and authentic, and the film reminds us all to embrace our own weirdness."[7] The Toronto Star's Peter Howell said that "Weirdos is one of Bruce McDonald's sweetest films."[8] The Hollywood Reporter's Sheri Linden called the film "A lovely, low-key memory piece, vibrant with the awkward grace of adolescence."[9]
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Awards | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Screen Awards[10] | Best Motion Picture | Marc Almon, Mike MacMillan and Bruce McDonald | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actress | Molly Parker | Won | |
| Best Original Screenplay | Daniel MacIvor | Won | |
| Best Art Direction/Production Design | Matt Likely | Nominated | |
| Best Achievement in Costume Design | Bethana Briffett | Nominated | |
| Best Editing | Duff Smith | Nominated | |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle[11] | Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film | Molly Parker | Won |
| Leo Awards[12] | Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Motion Picture | Julia Sarah Stone | Nominated |
| Canadian Cinema Editors Awards[13] | Best Editing in Feature Film | Duff Smith | Nominated |
| Directors Guild of Canada Awards[14] | Best Picture Editing - Feature Film | Duff Smith | Nominated |
| Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film | Bruce McDonald | Won |
References
[edit]- ^ Vlessing, Etan (3 August 2016). "Toronto International Film Festival Unveils Canadian Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Harvey, Dennis (23 September 2016). "Film Review: 'Weirdos'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ "Weirdos (2016): Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ Szklarski, Cassandra (7 September 2016). "Bruce McDonald hits the road again with black-and-white 'Weirdos'". The Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Weirdos (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Nayman, Adam (10 September 2016). "Weirdos (Bruce McDonald, Canada) — Special Presentations". Cinema Scope. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Mcknight, Brent (25 May 2017). "Mini reviews of After the Storm, Weirdos, The Lure and The Sense of an Ending, plus Miss Sloane on DVD". Seattle Times. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Howell, Peter; Demara, Bruce (16 March 2017). "Mini reviews of After the Storm, Weirdos, The Lure and The Sense of an Ending, plus Miss Sloane on DVD". Toronto Star. Toronto Star Newspapers. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Linden, Sheri (14 February 2017). "'Weirdos': Film Review | Berlin 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ Furdyk, Brent (12 March 2017). "2017 Canadian Screen Awards: And The Winners Are..." Entertainment Tonight Canada. Corus Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ^ vancouverfilm (10 January 2017). "Hello Destroyer Named Best Canadian Film by VFCC". Vancouver Film Critics Circle. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ^ "2017 Leo Awards Nominees & Winners". Leo Awards. Troika Productions. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ "2017 CCE Awards - Nominees". Canadian Cinema Editors. 10 April 2017. Archived from the original on 22 August 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ Sosa, Alejandra (26 June 2017). "2017 DIRECTORS GUILD OF CANADA AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED". Directors Guild of Canada. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
External links
[edit]- Weirdos at IMDb
- Weirdos at Rotten Tomatoes