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Country: Canada, Language: French, 106 mins

Gay | Drama | 2016

Director: Yan England
Writer: Yan England
Producer: Diane England; Denise Robert

CGiii Comment

There are the best of kids...there are the worst of kids...

The main thrust of this - harrowing - film is the impotence that parents and teachers suffer...when trying to 'control' teenagers! Indeed, control is exactly what some of these kids need!

Face-to-face bullying has not been replaced by so-called cyber-bullying...it has been exacerbated. There exists no more the sanctuary of the home...Facebook, twitter et al. have made sure of that! Compounding the problem to the nth degree!

Why is Law not taught in schools!?! It affects everyone...Algebra, on the other hand, gets most people nowhere!!!

These are not mischievous kids playing a prank...these are young adults perpetrating the crimes of [premeditated] hate, harassment and assault...they should be dealt with...according to the law...and not shielded because of their age!

Not knowing the law in Canada...the film seems to stumble due to the lack of effective adult intervention...but, dealing with bullying is a problem the world over...and, still, no-one has a clue how to solve the 'problem' - look, it's not a f**king problem, it's an outright failure...that keeps happening. Weed out the little shits and put them all in a 'bully school'...or, a reformatory...bullying has to be seen as and treated for what it is...it's a crime...no more, no less - IT'S A CRIME!

Antoine-Olivier Pilon delivers a mighty performance as the young, gay teen with a target on his back...he goes through every emotion that a lifetime will throw at you...he stands, he falls, gets back up, gets knocked down...when totally broken, he breaks. It's utterly heartbreaking to watch.

As a first feature, Yan England has excelled...the sheer isolation that this young man experiences is conveyed with a remarkable insight...by the end of the film, you will be seething.

The final line spoken...well, tears are still running down my face!

Trailer...

154_BA_FR_STA_HD_185_709_H264_NoDate_SansSlate from VIFF on Vimeo.

The(ir) Blurb...

At 16, Tim (Mommy’s Antoine Olivier Pilon) is a bright student and gifted athlete. He finds himself, however, walking on eggshells, and with good reason. His suburban high school is a festering hotbed of bullying, social-media intimidation and virulent homophobia, and Tim’s sexuality is evolving. Pilon’s subtle performance keeps us precariously on the line between hope and despair. Navigating the nebulous world of teenage sexual identity in the cruel glare of schoolmates hopped up on testosterone has left the young man isolated and afraid. On the upside, he has one friend (Robert Naylor), who collaborates with him on science experiments that often end in violent explosions and gales of laughter. When his friend dies tragically, Tim copes with his grief and anxiety by throwing himself back into competitive running, a sport he’d abandoned. But there will be no Hollywood ending here, nor a West Hollywood one.

In Yann England’s suspenseful dramatic thriller, pissant peer pressure is the catalyst for a dramatic change in attitude and a redefinition of what makes Tim, Tim. Working from his own screenplay, England creates a very resonant and believable adolescent world where hearing the words, “You die at 4!” is a legitimate cause for paralyzing fear. You can almost smell the mystery meat as it’s thrown across the cafeteria…