Canadian Premiere
Eric (Ben Petrie) is a filmmaker struggling to finish his screenplay during the COVID lockdown. His girlfriend Allie (Grace Glowicki) wants to get a dog and he reluctantly agrees. After extensive research and planning, they adopt Milly, a traumatized rescue from the Dominican Republic. Complete opposites, the pair clash over pet-raising ideals. Feeling conflicted between work and family, Eric refocuses his creative energy and neuroses towards making a film about Allie, Milly, and himself.
Following in the footsteps of their 2016 cringe-comedy short Her Friend Adam, real-life partners Petrie and Glowicki return with another hilarious piece about a couple in disarray. As Milly suffers from gastrointestinal issues and cracks show in their relationship, The Heirloom evolves from a domestic comedy to a clever, metatextual piece of autofiction. Harkening back to the days of quarantine, Petrie’s debut feature asks you to slow down and appreciate the profound serenity of walking through the snowy streets, glasses fogged over, and cleaning up after your dog.
Sept 28 & 29: Q&A with director Ben Petrie and actor Grace Glowicki
Presented by
Media Partner
Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie
Canada
2024
English
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Ben Petrie, Grace Glowicki, Justin Elchakieh
Screenwriter
Ben Petrie
Cinematography
Kelly Jeffrey
Editor
Michael Harmon, Brendan Mills, Ben Petrie
Production Design
Chareese McLaughlin
Original Music
Casey Manierka-Quaile
Ben Petrie
Ben Petrie is a Canadian filmmaker who has been featured in Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” His film Her Friend Adam (2016) won the Sundance Short Film Special Jury Award for Outstanding Performance for Grace Glowicki, and was named Best Comedy of the Year by Vimeo. Ben’s recent acting credits include Blackberry (Dir. Matt Johnson, Berlinale 2023); The All Golden (Dir. Nate Wilson; Fantastic Fest 2023); and Tito (Dir. Grace Glowicki, SXSW 2019).
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes
A beautiful portrait of E.J. Hughes, who quietly helped reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia in the 20th century. This extraordinary documentary explores Hughes’s legacy not only as an artist, but as a devoted, humble human being.
Montreal, ma belle
In this Valentine to discovering love later in life, the ever-elegant Joan Chen plays Feng Xia, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant and mother in Montreal whose world is turned upside down when she meets and falls in love with a young Quebecoise.
Turner & Constable
Filmed as a supplement to a blockbuster exhibition at Tate Britain happening right now, this doc in the popular Exhibition on Screen series allows us to view these competitive, complementary English landscape artists side by side.