Weirdos (film)
Weirdos is a Canadian drama film, which debuted at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was directed by Bruce McDonald and written by Daniel MacIvor.
Set in Nova Scotia in 1976, the film stars Dylan Authors as Kit, a teenager living in Antigonish who decides to run away to live with his mother in Sydney.
Plot
Kit is a 15-year-old living in a small town in Nova Scotia with his single father Dave and grandmother Mary. He is dating Alice despite being unsure of his own sexuality. Deciding that he wants to go live with his mother Laura in Sydney, Kit enlists Alice's help to embark on a hitchhiking trip. Throughout the trip, Kit also has regular imaginary conversations with Andy Warhol, who has appointed himself Kit's "spirit animal".Cast
List based on IMDb.Production
The film was shot in colour and later converted to black and white. McDonald stated, "It's always difficult to shoot black and white because the powers that be, or the funders, are often wanting colour because colour is a bit more normal. in the independent world, sometimes it does offer you those other kind of freedoms like, 'Let's go black and white!' And it's not for everybody, but a lot of people are like, 'Wow, that's just so beautiful in black and white.'"The film's soundtrack includes a predominantly but not exclusively Canadian lineup of rock and pop songs from the era, including Harry Nilsson's "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City", Lighthouse's "Love of a Woman", Gordon Lightfoot's "Summer Side of Life" and "Cotton Jenny", Rush's "Finding My Way", Edward Bear's "Last Song", The Stampeders' "Carry Me", Crowbar's "Oh, What a Feeling", FM's "Phasers on Stun", Patsy Gallant's "From New York to L.A.", Labi Siffre's "Crying Laughing Loving Lying", Murray McLauchlan's "Down by the Henry Moore" and Anne Murray's "Snowbird".
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93%, based on 14 reviews, and an average rating of 6.9/10.Adam Nayman of Cinema Scope stated, "It's nice that this latest work by a filmmaker who has sometimes chased hipness past its expiration date concludes on a note of deliberate, intergenerational non-cool." Brent Mcknight of The Seattle Times remarked, "The young leads are charming and authentic, and the film reminds us all to embrace our own weirdness." The Toronto Stars Peter Howell said that "Weirdos is one of Bruce McDonald's sweetest films." The Hollywood Reporters Sheri Linden called the film "A lovely, low-key memory piece, vibrant with the awkward grace of adolescence."
Awards and nominations
The film garnered six Canadian Screen Award nominations at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017:| Awards | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Motion Picture | Marc Almon, Mike MacMillan and Bruce McDonald | |
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Molly Parker | |
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Daniel MacIvor | |
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Art Direction/Production Design | Matt Likely | |
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Achievement in Costume Design | Bethana Briffett | |
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Editing | Duff Smith | |
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle | Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film | Molly Parker | |
| Leo Awards | Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Motion Picture | Julia Sarah Stone | |
| Canadian Cinema Editors Awards | Best Editing in Feature Film | Duff Smith | |
| Directors Guild of Canada Awards | Best Picture Editing - Feature Film | Duff Smith | |
| Directors Guild of Canada Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film | Bruce McDonald |