MARY GOES ROUND DISC D: Molly McGlynn. Canada. 84 min. Sep 9, 3 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 3 Sep 10, 7:15 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 4 Sep 17, 2:30 pm, Scotiabank 9. Rating: NNNN
A Toronto addiction counsellor (Aya Cash) is forced to confront her own deep-rooted issues when a family illness prompts a trip home to Niagara Falls. Writer/director McGlynn’s first featureh takes a slightly familiar premise and invests it with spiky energy, richly drawn characters and a streak of caustic humour.
Cash, the breakout star of the FXX series You’re The Worst, is fantastic as the savvy but self-destructive Mary, but the whole cast is solid, including John Ralston as Mary’s flinty dad, newcomer Sara Waisglass as the teenage half-sister she’s never met and Melanie Nicholls-King as an AA buddy with a history of her own.
The recovery narrative arc isn’t exactly new, but McGlynn makes sure we understand where every character is coming from, avoiding clichés with specificity and real emotion. Don’t let this one slip past.
