SHOW ME (Cassandra Nicolaou, Canada). 97 minutes. Saturday (May 21), 7:15 pm. Cumberland.
Rating: NNNN Rating: NNNN
Who knew that Cassandra Nicolaou (the hilarious Interviews With My Next Girlfriend) had such a knack for drama?
Show Me takes tried and tested CanLit tropes – put characters into the piney wilderness, add sordid secrets and life-or-death tension and up the stakes with sex – and transforms them into a taut, brittle thriller.
Sad-eyed Sarah ( Michelle Nolden ) is en route to what’s supposed to be a 10th-anniversary romantic getaway at the cottage when she gets carjacked by a pair of hostile street-youth siblings ( Katharine Isabelle and Kett Turton ). Trapped in a northern cabin, the moody triad bump and bruise one another like canoes at a dock, scraping just hard enough to draw blood.
Thoughtful writing, phenomenally restrained performances – Nolden is captivating – and gorgeous cinematography make Nicolaou’s perfectly paced feature one of the best Canadian films I’ve seen in years.
Inside out festival reviews The new queer crop INSIDE OUT TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL at various locations from today (Thursday, May 19) to May 29. $7.50-$10.75, galas $21.50-$26.75. 416-967-1528, www.insideout.ca. For complete schedule, see Indie & Rep Film, page 126.
