By: Kat Harlton
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4526546/
This past Wednesday evening I had the opportunity to attend a promotional screening of LevelFILM‘s Edge Of Winter at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, starring Tom Holland, (Captain America: Civil War), Joel Kinnaman, (Suicide Squad, House of Cards) Rachelle Lefevre (Twilight) and Rossif Sutherland (River, Hyena Road).
Shot in Sudbury, Ontario, the film tells the story of two siblings (Tom Holland, Percy Hynes White) who are stranded at a remote cabin in the wintertime, and must fight for survival as their increasingly unhinged father (Joel Kinnaman) loses his grip on reality.
I have to say that I was absolutely blown away by the film. As someone with a background in the industry, it reminded me of the caliber of art that can be created and produced when a committed director like Rob Connolly comes with a vision and gets the opportunity to work with exceptional actors.
All of the actors were top-notch in their performance, but I was most taken aback by Percy Hynes White who plays Caleb Baker, the younger of the two siblings . As someone so young, the range of emotion he was able to convey was outstanding, especially for a character immersed in an extreme and very adult situation. Baker managed to bring a level of maturity and depth with which even many seasoned actors would struggle.
The film’s believability in large part is due the story telling via the scriptwriting of Rob Connolly and Kyle Mann. The film never loses its focus on the relationship between the three main characters and, to me, it’s what made the film so intense. Another notable quality was the built-in factor of having the audience naturally question their own behaviour if put into a similar situation with a loved one.
After the screening, director Rob Connolly graciously conducted an audience Q & A, which provided a lot of great insight into the casting and filming process, as well as location scouting etc., and I really appreciated that chance to go ‘behind the scenes’.
Edge of Winter is a standout film, and I’d see it again in a heartbeat. I highly encourage everyone to check it out August 19th at the venues listed below:
Magic Lantern Carlton Cinema, Toronto
VanCity Theatre, Vancouver
Rainbow Regina, Regina