Theme Week- Clearly Canadian

Trigger

plot: Two female musicians reunite over a decade after their last gig, to catch up before attending a rock benefit and after party.  They discover that even though their lives have taken very different paths since they last saw each other, they are still as close as they ever were.

This is the 2010 Bruce McDonald  comedy-drama starring Tracy Wright and Molly Parker.

This was Wright's last movie before her death.

I have to say, I've been looking forward to seeing this film since I heard about back few years ago. Originally, meant as a squeal to Hard Core Logo, I was expecting a lot more Logo-ish jokes/vibes. Two of the HCL actors make an appearance as their old characters -Callum Keith Rennie and Julian Richings. -  And I laughed at the little in jokes presented; first with Richings character calling himself an alien (nod to his role on I was a Sixth Grade Alien) and Don McKellar's character sitting around in his robe eating cereal (nod to his role in Twitch City.)

This sort of presents itself as a love story, giving you the idea that the two leads may have been involved, either way it underlines a real sense of jealousy between them (just like HCL did with the characters played by Callum Keith Rennie and Hugh Dillon)  The one having made a major name for herself only after moving, the other having stayed connected to the local music scene. Both battling addictions in their own way.
The Parker character is trying to get back some sort of feeling she had when she was still in the band even though she now comes across as being a sell out. While the Wright character  has visions as if her true self is mirrored everywhere.  Both are clearly feeling insecure of what they think the other's current life offers.
The fact the last few scenes happen in a high school was a brilliant idea, reducing the two characters to their younger egos for a cat fight in what first seems like a back alley, but is in fact on the school stage. This is where the honesty we've been building up for the whole movie explodes. (again just like the last few scenes of HCL it happens on a stage and back alley)

But, with that said, I was disappointed with how it sort of went in circles and didn't really do anything. I know it was a low key, quiet movie, given the topic; but I was really expecting...more. More rock n roll, more in jokes to the fact it was a Bruce McDonald rock n roll film, more Canadian-ness.  I would have loved to have seen the other two HCL actors, John Pyper-Ferguson and Bernie Coulson make an appearance, even just standing there would have been cool.