6.2 /10 1 Votes
Directed by Ashley McKenzie Music by Youth Haunts Initial release 9 September 2016 Music director Youth Haunts | 6.3/10 IMDb Written by Ashley McKenzie Cinematography Scott Moore Screenplay Ashley McKenzie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Produced by Nelson MacDonald
Ashley McKenzie Starring Andrew Gillis
Bhreagh MacNeil Cast Andrew Gillis, Bhreagh MacNeil People also search for Weirdos, When You Sleep, Stray, 4 Quarters, Rhonda's Party, Black Cop Nominations Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Producers Ashley McKenzie, Nelson MacDonald | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Werewolf is a 2016 Canadian drama film directed by Ashley McKenzie. Its world premiere was in the Discovery section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.
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Plot
The film centres on Blaise (Andrew Gillis) and Vanessa (Bhreagh MacNeil), two drug addicts living in New Waterford, Nova Scotia.
Background and production
Shot on Cape Breton Island, the film was inspired by a real-life couple in New Waterford; McKenzie learned they were referred to as "the lawnmower crackheads". McKenzie researched the film by visiting social agencies on Cape Breton. Of this experience, she said in an interview:
I talked to different people in the methadone program, but I'm not trying to make some sort of exposé. I didn't feel restricted to create some really accurate picture of things; I felt I had creative licence to do whatever I wanted with it.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics; The Hollywood Reporter called it a "cruel story of Canadian youth" and Variety called it "For all her attempts at documentary-style verisimilitude, filmmaker Ashley McKenzie doesn't really cover much new ground with “Werewolf,” her debut feature. Indeed, the familiarity and predictability of its scenario about co-dependency in the lower depths make the relatively short Canadian indie seem longer than it is."
Accolades
At the 2016 Atlantic Film Festival, Werewolf won the awards for best director (McKenzie), best actress (MacNeil), and best actor (Gillis). At the 5th Canadian Screen Awards, Gillis was nominated for Best Actor and MacNeil was nominated for Best Actress.
On 7 December 2016, the film was named to TIFF's annual Canada's Top 10 list.