By Peter Howell
Whenever the camera tilts upwards in Firecrackers, the searing feature debut of Toronto’s Jasmin Mozaffari, the storm-threatened sky seems to mirror the film’s human intensity.
It’s an elemental story, with washed-out hues, restless camera work and sandpaper grain reminiscent of Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, which had a similar trajectory of seeking freedom from stifling lives.
Mozaffari’s film, however, boasts far stronger characters and performances, especially from its multi-layered leads: best friends Lou (Michaela Kurimsky) and Chantal (Karena Evans), who desperately want to trade their blinkered existence in small-town Canada for New York’s bright lights and excitement.
Lou, flame-haired and impulsive, and Chantal, dark-haired and reckless, both on the cusp of 20 and quick to cuss, have saved up the cash they earned as chambermaids in the rundown motel owned by Chantal’s aunt.
Just one night to go before they hit the road, but even though time is on their side, fate doesn’t appear to be.
A cascading series of events, beginning with a street fight that splits Lou’s lip and continuing with a party that leaves Chantal violated by an ex-beau, seems to point to a dead-end sign rather than the route out of town.
The local guys each share a single brain cell. They eyeball Lou and Chantal the way a shark does a school of fish. These clowns will prove to be the biggest impediment to freedom, since they also prompt dissent between the two BFFs.
“What’s up with being angry all the time?” one guy asks Lou, rudely but not incorrectly, and can you blame her? Life has dealt her a bad hand, including a downer mom (Tamara LeClair) who has more time for her ex-junkie boyfriend (David Kingston) than for her daughter or sensitive younger son (Callum Thompson).
Firecrackers, which opens in Toronto and Vancouver this week, is one of the best new Canadian films in a long while, and go figure why it’s not among the nominees for Best Motion Picture at this weekend’s Canadian Screen Awards.
The CSAs also managed to overlook Kurimsky and Evans for acting honours, although Mozaffari did snag a deserved directing nod among its four nominations, which also include noms for best first feature, editing and costume design.
But we know better than to take our viewing cues from award shows, right?