Nominated for Discovery Award for Best Debut Feature, Best Debut Director and Best Performance in a Debut
Q&A with Director Ben Petrie
Facing a long winter of lockdown and combating a bad case of writer’s block, a desperate filmmaker agrees to rescue a traumatized dog with his girlfriend. Part rescue dog rom-com, part auto-fiction psychodrama, and part family scrapbook, this debut feature displays a disquieting amount of emotional authenticity, capturing what it means to be human.
Eric (Ben Petrie) is a nerdy, Woody Allen-type filmmaker who is working on a project. Together with his partner Allie (Petrie’s real-life companion and regular collaborator Grace Glowicki), Eric lives a quiet but fulfilling life. After deciding to adopt a dog, Milly, the parental responsibilities that come with it put pressure on the couple, but they also give Eric new inspiration. He decides to scrap his longtime project and write a film about Milly. But is his relationship with Allie going to survive?
A Canadian chamber piece that values intimate observations and honest dialogue over plot twists, this truly feels like a labour of love for writer-director Petrie. In a meta sort of way, we see Petrie and his partner’s real life unfold before our very eyes. The couple’s ruminations about love and life bring the viewer to ponder the meaning of family and work-life balance.
Both leads are committed (Glowicki, in particular, shines) but it’s the dog who steals the show here, played by charismatic canine Cheers, a blend of charm and nervous energy.
Keep an ear cocked for Casey Manierka-Quaile’s excellent score, which manages to distil the very essence of the central relationship between Eric and his partner. The Heirloom’s off-beat humour will appeal to lovers of quirky comedies everywhere.
Review by Mickey La Rosa
