By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.3 cats
Director: Bruce McDonald
Starring: Callum Keith Rennie | Don McKellar | Molly Parker | Sarah Polley | Tracy Wright
Country: canada
Year: 2011
Running time: 83
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1624408/
Michael says: “When Kat and Vic, two old friends who performed together in a punk rock band twenty years ago are reunited, tensions are high, but so are the powerful memories of a strong bond that the two women shared. The fact that TRIGGER features Tracy Wright’s final performance before losing her battle with cancer makes it a singularly powerful film to watch. And she gives it her all, displaying the talent and honesty that brought her a Chlotrudis Award celebrating her career. Molly Parker also shines as Kat, Vic’s musical partner, as does Daniel McIvor’s exceptional script which touches on all the rock ‘n roll movie tropes, then expanding on them to create a moving and exhilarating portrait of the little seen friendship between two women. Terrific support in the form of Don McKellar, Sarah Polley and Callum Keith Rennie are just icing on the cake. 5 cats”
Julie says: “What’s not to love about this one. Funny and insightful dialogue, cool shots of Toronto nightlife, and a great last performance by Tracy Wright. Molly Parker also puts in a strong performance. The story is about a friendship between two women who were in a punk rock band 20 years ago. There’s tension due to issues in the past and present, but these two women have a strong bond which revealed as the story unfolds. Don McKellar puts in a short but sweet cameo. A female rock n’ roll version of MY DINNER WITH ANDRE.”
Diane says: “Please stop making me watch movies about addiction–it’s too depressing! I found TRIGGER’s dialogue to be self-conscious, but it still packed an emotional wallop. Tracy Wright gives an amazing perf. To remind you, this is pretty much a two-hander, about a girl rock duo ten years on. 4 cats”
Thom says: “Molly Parker is a more than deserving must-see actor and she co-stars in this lovely film with Tracy Wright, who unfortunately died soon after making this film at the age of 50. While I never was a huge fan of this very talented actor she made an impressive contribution to many films she’s been in including this one, THE FIVE SENSES, ME & YOU & EVERYONE WE KNOW, ‘Slings & Arrows’, BLINDNESS, LESLIE, MY NAME IS EVIL, LAST NIGHT, & WHEN NIGHT IS FALLING. She and Parker play Vic & Kat, the duet who Trigger consisted of some years previously, who had some major success in the Toronto music scene, but broke apart inharmoniously. They meet in a restaurant after a long absence and both their lives have altered dramatically. Kat is a hotshot television producer and Vic’s life is decidedly on the skids. There are hints her health is deteriorating mirroring the declining health of the actual actor. After a terrible battle of wits they go off into the night, eventually performing at a Women’s Benefit concert where they are recognized from their glory days. The song, written by Brendan Canning of Canadian rockers Broken Social Scene is powerfully presented. Their original love and respect for each other finally shines through beautifully in this lovely dialogue-driven film. I truly love watching Molly Parker act, she’s so character-driven. 4 cats”
Toni says: “Thanks for the great summary on this film and the performances, Thom!
“I was also impressed with the acting performances and also with the dialogue that shows the pain and the love of these two women from their past connections that are being brought back for one night. Sometimes I almost forgot that anyone else was in this film besides Molly and Tracy (in her final film performance). I also thought the film captured a good cross section of the background of the past riot grrl and current indie scene represented well from the characters and set up surrounding the characters, Kat and Vic.
“I wanted to add a link to a nice interview Paul and I did for Spoiler Alert Radio with playwright, screenwriter, actor, and director, Daniel MacIvor, from Nova Scotia, about his work over the years from Chlotrudis Award winning MARION BRIDGE that starred Ellen Page in one of her earliest roles to WILBY WONDERFUL, WHOLE NEW THING, and TRIGGER. Note, Daniel mentioned that he writes roles often specifically for actors in mind knowing their strengths after working with them on projects. He specifically wrote TRIGGER for example with both actresses in mind (Molly and Tracy).
“Since we have completed the syndication of the episode on radio, the podcast link is below for this episode if interested (and our interview with Evan Glodell of BELLFLOWER fame will be up next week as well since it is airing in radio syndication this week):
http://spoileralertradio.libsyn.com/daniel-mac-ivor”