World Premiere
Harvey (Benjamin Turnbull) is a middle-aged, overweight biologist. He lives a lonely life, often feeling invisible on his daily commute and starving for interaction. He spends his time photographing plants and visiting his comatose father in the hospital. While browsing an adult bookshop, he unearths a gay magazine called Cherub, “For big men and their admirers.” Curious and nervous, he submits a photo to the magazine’s Cherub of the Month contest.
Produced as his M.F.A. thesis at York University, Devin Shears’ debut feature (his previous film Grown in Darkness screened at the 2022 VIFF Short Forum) is a gentle, warmhearted character study featuring a deeply human performance from Turnbull. Harvey flourishes before our eyes as he overcomes the fear of being humiliated and experiences the highs and lows of feeling seen. Featuring richly textured cinematography, a shimmering score, and completely dialogue-free, Cherub is an ambient charmer that heralds the arrival of a bright, young talent in Shears.
Oct 3 & 4: Q&A with director Devin Shears and actor Benjamin Turnbull
Presented by
Media Partner
Benjamin Turnbull
Canada
2024
No Dialogue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Mithila Majithia, Devin Shears
Screenwriter
Devin Shears
Cinematography
Nick Tiringer
Editor
Devin Shears
Production Design
Annette Wanjiku Wanjiru
Original Music
Anastasia Westcott
Devin Shears
Devin Shears is a filmmaker from St. John’s, Newfoundland, currently living in Toronto. His past work has played at VIFF, Atlantic Film Festival, and Antimatter, among others. Cherub is his first feature film, made as part of his MFA thesis at York University.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
It's a Wonderful Life
Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings. This Christmas classic is whimsical, sure, but it has the depth to stand up to multiple watches, and it really should be a communal experience, because that is what it's about.
The Nutcracker at Wethersfield
Back in the long, dark Covid winter of 2020, there was no way the New York City Ballet could mount their traditional Christmas production of Tchaikovsky's fairytale. But choreographer Troy Schumacher had a dream to save the show -- reimagining a classic.
North of Ourselves
In the depths of winter, two adventurers set out to cross Quebec from one end to the other on bike and skis, exploring its staggering geography and meeting its inhabitants (human and otherwise) along the way.
Hundreds of Beavers: A Northwoods Christmas
The funniest, and certainly the furriest movie you will see this year, Hundreds of Beavers channels the zany slapstick shtick of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Bugs Bunny through a videogame quest narrative to retell the eternal saga of Man v Nature.
The Secret Agent
Having run afoul of an influential bureaucrat in Brazil’s military dictatorship circa 1977, Marcelo decamps to Recife to live under an assumed name — but he’ll soon come to understand precisely how rampant the country’s corruption has become.
