Weirdos (film)

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Weirdos (film)
File:Weirdos film poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Bruce McDonald
Produced by Marc Almon
Mike MacMillan
Written by Daniel MacIvor
Starring Dylan Authors
Julia Sarah Stone
Molly Parker
Allan Hawco
Cathy Jones
Rhys Bevan-John
Release dates
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  • 9 September 2016 (2016-09-09) (Toronto)
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

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

List based on IMDb.[3]

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

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

Critical response

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

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

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External links

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