TIFF 2013: The Husband Review

The Husband

The Husband

Special Presentation

Director: Bruce McDonald

Canadian filmmaking icon McDonald continues the dark streak he’s been on lately, but this time taking a long hard look at analyzing what makes a real life monster and the affect personal demons can have on loved ones. It’s as poignant and emotional as it is funny and unnerving.

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Collaborating with leading man and writer Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, McDonald tells the story of Hank, a frustrated advertising agent trying to keep his head together for his infant daughter as his wife (Sarah Allen) is on the verge of being released from prison. Her crime: sexual relations with a 14 year old boy (Dylan Authors) that Hank wants to shake down for answers and closure before his wife returns.

There’s a deep, gritty understanding that McDonald brings to the situation, but the film never deals in binaries and melodrama. A confrontation between the husband and wife part way through is one of the most striking and powerful sequences McDonald has ever filmed. Of course, McDonald couldn’t do it on his own without the excellent performances of Lokos (who wisely sets the tone of the film to be in step with the character’s madness), Allen, and Authors.

Screens

Monday, September 9th, Scotiabank 1, 7:30pm

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Wednesday, September 11th, Ryerson Theatre, 9:00pm

Saturday, September 14th, Scotiabank 14, 12:00pm



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