Sam Cowell (Rachel Sennott) used to be funny. She used to spend her nights working the comedy clubs of Toronto and her days as an au pair for Brooke, a young teen struggling with the recent passing of her mother. Now Sam hides from the world, tormented by PTSD from an unseen event. Faced with the news that Brooke has fled home, Sam struggles to make the choice whether or not to help track down the missing teen or leave the past behind.
Flipping between present and past, director Ally Pankiw carefully peels back the layers of Sam’s inner psyche as she processes the events herself, structuring the film around her recovery. Sennott’s talents are on full display as she masterfully balances the dramatic weight of the film’s most barbed moments with the wry humor that cuts through it all. Utilizing Sennott’s real world live performances only prove that Sam, and Sennott are stars in the making.
October 3 & 5: Q&A with actor Olga Petsa & producer James Weyman
Presented by
Series Media Partner
Rachel Sennott, Olga Petsa, Jason Jones, Sabrina Jalees, Caleb Hearon
Canada
2023
Showcase
English
Sexual Violence, Drug and Alcohol Abuse
At International Village
At The Rio
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Li-Wei Chu, Ally Pankiw, Judy Holm, Paul Barkin, Mark Gingras, John Laing, Jordan Nahmias
Producer
James Weyman, Jason Aita, Breann Smordin
Screenwriter
Ally Pankiw
Cinematography
Nina Djacic
Editor
Curt Lobb
Production Design
Ciara Vernon
Original Music
Ames Bessada
Director
Ally Pankiw
After being named one of Hollywood Reporter’s “Top 15 Canadian Talents to Watch,” Ally Pankiw made her TV directing debut with Netflix’s Feel Good, created by and starring comedian Mae Martin. Pankiw directed and executive produced the show’s first season, which has been critically acclaimed as one of the best series of 2020 and boasts the coveted “100% Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes. Pankiw has since directed on Hulu’s Shrill, starring Aidy Bryant, and Emmy-nominated show, The Great starring Elle Fanning. In addition to her work in film and TV, Pankiw has built an impressive career in music videos and branded content. Pankiw has also directed and produced videos for artists including Katy Perry, Phoebe Bridgers, and Ariana Grande.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Palimpsest: The Story of a Name
Drawing on home movies and diaries from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, Canadian filmmaker Mary Stephen (Eric Rohmer's editor for many years) investigates the origins of her surname. After all, she was born in Hong Kong to Chinese parents. Or were they... ?
Searching for Satyrus
Award-winning filmmaker and photographer Rena Effendi embarks on a quest to track down the very rare Satyrus Effendi, a butterfly discovered by her father in the mountains of Aberbaijain. But what she finds is altogether more personal, and more upsetting.
Rushmore
Precocious Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is befriended by depressed industrialist Harold Blume (Bill Murray) until they both fall in love with first grade teacher Miss Cross (Olivia Williams). Anderson's second feature is an old favourite.
The Big Lebowski
The Coens' whacky, warped slacker generation riff on Raymond Chandler, a shaggy dog story which delights in going sideways at every turn. Jeff Bridges is the Dude, and what he really wants is to get his rug back...