Lawrence (Isaiah Lehtinen), a teenage cinephile, is convinced that he’s destined for bigger things than Burlington, Ontario can offer. Obsessed with Paul Thomas Anderson and Todd Solondz, he’s intent on attending film school at NYU before unleashing his directorial vision on an unsuspecting world. This despite the fact his artistic output is, well, underwhelming. Faced with the prospect of daunting tuition fees, he lands a job at a local video store where he promptly sets about condescending to customers, fixating on what his free rentals will be, and confounding his manager, Alana (Romina D’Ugo), and mother, Terri (Krista Bridges).
Well-appointed with both film references and endearing Canadiana, Chandler Levack’s humane comedy traces this pretentious curmudgeon’s path from practically sociopathic self-involvement to his first fraught encounters with self-awareness. Demonstrating tremendous understanding and affection for obsessives, Levack thoughtfully details the circumstances behind Lawrence’s fanaticism and anxiety. Through her impeccable scripting, we witness this film bro come of age thanks to the women in his life.
Presented by
Media Partner
Isaiah Lehtinen, Percy Hynes White, Anand Rajaram, Eden Cupid, Krista Bridges, Alex Ateah, Romina D’Ugo
Canada
2021
English
At VIFF Centre — Vancity Theatre
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Caught by the Tides
Over two decades, across China’s rapidly changing landscape, two lovers meet and part and meet again. In this magisterial film, Jia Zhangke refracts the 21st century through a reflexive, retrospective look at his era-defining filmography.
Sabbath Queen
The dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Amichai Lau-Lavie is what you might call the black sheep of the family. His sexuality led him down a different path, but its destination is surprising...
Magic Farm
In Amalia Ulman's playful slow burner, a Vice-like camera crew wash up in a sleepy South American village and cook up a story that isn't there with the help of cynical locals eager to take the gringos for every cent.
Credits
Producer
Lindsay Blair Goeldner
Screenwriter
Chandler Levack
Cinematography
Rico Moran
Editor
Simone Smith
Production Design
Claudia Dall’orso
Original Music
Murray A. Lightburn
Director
Chandler Levack
Chandler Levack grew up in Burlington, Ontario, and lives in Toronto where she studied cinema at the University of Toronto and screenwriting at the Canadian Film Centre. She has directed numerous music videos, earning two JUNO nominations, and is a veteran journalist and critic who has earned several National Magazine Awards for publications that include The Globe & Mail, The Village Voice, and Maisonneuve. I Like Movies is her feature debut.