In the lead up to the 7th Canadian Film Festival in Australia (August 2012), join us as we countdown the Top 100 Canadian Films of the past 30 years. We'll be posting one film a day leading up to Canada Day on July 1st 2012. Do you agree with our staff favourites? Let us know your thoughts!
It’s complicated…and then some. Start with a snarled tangle of family relations wrought by betrayal,lies, and too much left unsaid, add a long weekend at an isolated cabin, a dash of surprise revelations, and you have the perfect recipe for a confrontational explosion that always makes for cinema gold. Matt Bissonnette’s Who Loves the Sun is no exception to this rule with a stellar ensemble cast and a narrative layered with tension that you could cut with a knife.
Will Morrison, a struggling writer, has been virtually off the map for half a decade until he turns up at the Manitoba lake house of the Bloom family: the parents of his closest childhood friend, Daniel, now a hotshot author in New York City. As the film progresses, we find out that the two former friends haven’t spoken since Will discovered his best friend in a compromising position with his wife, Maggie, and Mr. and Mrs. Bloom have organized an intervention so that all three involved can get closure and possibly rekindle the friendship they once shared.
What ensues are several awkward and anger-tinged moments that convey how badly damaged each relationship is. Molly Parker is especially brilliant as Maggie, embodying her character’s lingering hurt and distraught emotional state through just her body language and loaded, meaningful expressions.
The film’s structure and pace is as intriguing as it is frustrating. Bissonnette does an impressive job of eschewing copious exposition by revealing Will, Daniel, and Maggie’s past through organic confrontations. At first it seems as though Mr. and Mrs. Bloom have no purpose but to be the manipulative force behind the reunion; however, their story is a surprising treat that twists the already frayed tensions even tighter. Perhaps what is most irritating is the randomness of Will’s reappearance and the dubious reunion between the three main characters. The premise is a little too artificially contrived but the resulting drama is worth the initial disbelief.
The relationships between all the characters gradually unravel and are redefined, completely transforming each character in the process. Filled with the right amount of heart and humour, Who Loves the Sun is as earnest as they come.
-Pamela Galbraith
”The twists are a little dizzying for a while, but the characters are all interesting and genuine and earn our sympathy and support. The ending is a bit of a surprise but nicely done, just like the rest of the picture.” – (Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews)
Who Loves the Sun had its Australian premiere at the 2nd annual Possible Worlds Film Festival in 2007
To see the other films in the countdown so far, click here.