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
Yunan
In this haunting mood piece, Munir is a middle-aged Syrian writer in exile in Germany. In crisis, he takes himself up to one of the Halligan islands in the North Sea, a suitable place to end it all...
The Track
In the middle of a mountain forest above Sarajevo, three boys train for the Olympics in a bullet-ridden luge track abandoned since the 1984 Winter Games. An ambitious, hopeful look at the next generation striving to overcome the sins of their fathers.
The Mother and the Bear
Johnny Ma’s film stars Kim Ho-jung as a Korean woman who flies to Winnipeg when her immigrant daughter is hospitalized there. This crowd-pleaser plays up cultural differences to hilarious effect and offers a touching take on mother-daughter tension.
It Was Just an Accident
Having offered some late-night assistance to a stranger in the wake of an auto accident, a mechanic grows convinced that he recognizes the supposed stranger’s voice as that of his torturer during a grueling prison spell.
Breaking the Waves
Kicking off our 2026 Pantheon series of the greatest films ever made, Lars von Trier's 1996 masterpiece is a devastating melodrama featuring an indelible performance from Emily Watson as the woman whose love for her husband knows no bounds.