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There, There film image; two women sitting in a room with an electric fan

There, There

Northern Lights

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World Premiere

“I don’t think I’m doing very well,” Ruth Mackie (Marlene Jewell) tells her doctor during a cognitive exam. An elderly Nova Scotian woman struggling with dementia, Ruth likes feeding pigeons and playing TV bingo. She believes that her home is infested with bugs and that they live inside her, too. Ruth’s pregnant young caretaker, Shannon (Katie Mattattal) is grappling with her abandonment by the baby’s father, a race-car driver. As Ruth’s cognition deteriorates, these two women overlooked by society leave an indelible impression on each other.

Winner of the Emerging Canadian Director Award for Murmur at VIFF 2019, writer/director Heather Young once again brings exceptional nuance to themes of loneliness and isolation. A realist drama with contemplative pacing, There, There deploys formal restraint through its static shots and naturalistic dialogue to deliver a bittersweet portrayal of the universal need for companionship. With a tender performance by Katie Mattattal, Young’s sophomore feature endears us to the unsung caregivers who bring an essential human touch to the lives of others.

 

Sept 29 & 30: Q&A with director Heather Young and producer Martha Cooley

 

Presented by

Media Partner

   

Director
Cast

Marlene Jewell, Katie Mattatall

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2024

Language

English

Film Contact
18+
100 min
Drama Q&As at VIFF Women Directors
Brass Door Productions, Marjorie Films, Houseplant Films

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Producer

Britt Kerr, Martha Cooley, Heather Young

Screenwriter

Heather Young

Cinematography

Catherine Lutes

Editor

Heather Young

Production Design

Michael Pierson

Heather Young headshot; There There director

Heather Young

Heather Young is a filmmaker based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She made the short films Howard and Jean (2014), Fish (2016), and Milk (2017). Her first feature, Murmur (2019), premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival where it won the FIPRESCI Prize for the Discovery Programme and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival. There, There is her second feature.

Filmography: Murmur (2019)

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