AMERICAN WOMAN GALA D: Semi Chellas. Canada. 87 min. Sep 12, 6:30 pm, Roy Thomson Hall Sep 12, 8 pm, Elgin Sep 14, 7 pm, Scotiabank 5. Rating: NN
The time spent between kidnapped and radicalized heiress Patty Hearst and bomb-maker Wendy Yoshimura is the basis for this lightly fictionalized look at two fugitives from opposite worlds hiding out, hoping to change the world with very different views on what they want from it.
The dynamic is inherently fascinating, and Toronto’s own Sarah Gadon and Downsizing breakout star Hong Chau do all the acting they can to keep things interesting, but the material works against them. There’s no dramatic impulse or commitment to an idea in a script adapted from Susan Choi’s novel. The film just lingers in the dead space of a sensational story.
