For Ashish (Saamer Usmani), everything is complicated: he’s finished his MFA, but he’s stuck in a creative block; he’s completed a novella, but publishers keep turning it down; he’s estranged from his father, but is obligated to care for him after a grave diagnosis; he’s just met a nice girl, but she’s leaving town in three weeks. Shook follows Ash through these travails, offering a relatable portrait of life in transition as well as a loving depiction of Scarborough, Ontario.
Amar Wala’s film has the feel of lived experience—there’s an authenticity that comes through in the depictions of Ash’s urban surroundings, and there are no false assurances offered. Wala also elicits some fine performances: besides the charismatic Usmani, there are winning turns by Pamela Sinha as Ash’s strong-willed mother, Bernard White as his irreverent father, and Amy Forsyth as his partner in a romance that may be transitory but is genuine nonetheless.
Sept 30: Q&A with director Amar Wala
Presented by
Supported by
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Saamer Usmani, Amy Forsyth, Bernard White, Pamela Sinha, Shomari Downer, Faizan Khan
Canada
2024
In English and Hindi with English subtitles
At International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Travis Farncombe, Omar Chalabi, Adrian Love
Producer
Karen Harnisch, Amar Wala
Screenwriter
Amar Wala, Adnan Khan
Cinematography
Peter Hadfield
Editor
Shaun Rykiss
Production Design
Nicole Simmons
Original Music
Kalaisan Kalaichelvan
Amar Wala
Amar Wala is a writer, director, and producer who was born in Mumbai and now lives in Toronto. His many credits include the award-winning documentary The Secret Trial 5 (2014) and the TV series In the Making (2018) and Next Stop (2019-2021). Shook is his dramatic feature debut.
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