VICTORIA DAY (David Bezmozgis, Canada). 87 minutes. April 25, 9 pm, Sheppard Grande. tjff.com Rating: NNN
Victoria Day offers a tender slice in the life of Ben Spektor (Mark Rendall) and his friends, students at Toronto’s Newtonbrooke Secondary in 1988.
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When Ben, emerging as a star hockey player, lends teammate Jordan $5 to complete a drug deal, Jordan disappears. Ben’s guilt only grows when he begins a relationship with Jordan’s sister (Holly Deveaux).
Ben’s parents are new Russian immigrants, a circumstance we see rarely in T.O.-?set movies, and you’ll love the detail in the high school’s morning announcement segments.
Most of the performances, especially Rendall’s, are excellent. But why are all the guys addressing each other as “dude”? That’s not an 80s thing. And Deveaux, trying to evoke tentativeness, sounds like she doesn’t know her lines.
But director (and skilled short story writer) David Bezmozgis strikes just the right tone.
