The two fabulous leads
ONLY is an independent Canadian film shot in Ontario that will warm just about anyone’s heart.
A rare foray into the world of pre-teen minds, this film spends a day with two “only children” that fate brings together, if only for that day.
The beauty of this film is how the characters come to life at a believable pace, while being realistic about their larger lives. Both children have not been integrated into their parent’s lives and are treated as most are in our culture: superfluous, if not a chore and bother. But these leads show us that not only is that a path to disaster in many ways (and for everyone concerned), but that they are self-resilient and they are able to deviate from that path whenever a genuine moment arises.
The film melts by quickly and in so doing, calmly brings us back to that moment of first showing your love to another that is so innately awkward; the ending could go either way and I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw (I’m trying not to give anything away here!).
I asked one of the two co-directors, Simon Reynolds, some questions by email to get a bit deeper into the film (see below for the interview). Simon will also be available for a Q&A after every screening of ONLY at the Pacific Cinematheque (1131 Howe Street in Vancouver). Here’s the remaining schedule of this exclusive first-run:
Friday, May 15 – 9:30pm
Saturday, May 16 – 7:00pm
Sunday, May 17 – 9:00pm
An interview with Simon Reynolds, co-director of Only:
reellife: Why Only?
Simon: The word seems to be layered with several meanings. From the obvious (the lead characters are ‘only’ children) – to the cryptic (the word ‘lonely’ contains the word ‘only’) to the sublime (they ‘only’ have one day together). But early on in the screenwriting phase, Only was briefly the name of one of the lead characters. Over time, we began to see how the word seemed to resonate with the story and themes in different ways – and eventually it just became the name of the film.
reellife: Was the time of the year chosen for the snow or for other reasons?
Simon: We really wanted to capture that moment of Winter slowly thawing and giving in to Spring. That was our
aim. It’s like the kid’s relationship.
reelife: How would you explain the two leads’ personalities, and why do you think the film accurately portrayed them? To me, the portrayals were universal to our culture; what does this say about our culture for you?
Simon: One of my favourite things about these kids and this age in general – is that it seems to be a time before personality has really formed. Also before a lot of bullshit sets in. You know, you’re still trying different personalities out – almost like different sets of clothes – but you’re not attached yet. We did research with a group of about 6 kids of this age before we started writing. We asked them what they thought about the world and they told us. A lot of their answers are in the film – and it wasn’t what anybody was expecting to hear. As strange as their personalities sometimes seem, their is a ring of truth that no one can deny.
reellife: In our culture, children are often thought of as extras, are not considered important in our daily “productive” lives, and that they “get in the way.” Could you comment on this statement?
Simon: It’s certainly true. I think we have a lot to learn from children. Their capacity for imagination and curiosity – particularly their ability to see things as they actually are – to cut through to the simple truth. But instead of paying attention to their inherent wisdom, we ignore, control, repress and otherwise beat down their natural impulses and ultimately, everything that makes up their individuality. Of course, no one does this intentionally. We’re all born into the same situation and moulded by the same forces – it just gets passed on. Kind of grim.
reellife: Are you aware of the term, “emotional incest?” If so, did you consciously intend to include a reference to it or do you not think the film touches on it?
Simon: Not so much ‘emotional incest’ as simply emotional manipulation. At least that was our intention. I think all people at one time or another are guilty of it. We’ve all had moments when our self-pity got the better of us – and we tried to shame those around us into giving us attention.
reellife: Why was the scene of the girl’s father crying included?
Simon: Because that’s what grown ups do. We like the idea that, at the end of the day, we’re all still just kids slipping on the ice and falling down. It’s just that when you’re older, it’s so much harder to get up, dust off and move on. Kids roll with the punches better. That’s what we forget.
reellife: Why or how did it become co-directed? How did that benefit the film and how did it detract?
Simon: Ingrid [Veninger] and I have known each other since we were kids working as actors on Friday the 13th. We caught up with each other again about 6 years ago. Ingrid has produced a large body of work, but I had been writing on my own for years – in a bit of a vacuum. Ingrid liked my scripts and she produced my first short in 2004, then my second in 2006. I had been pitching her various feature scripts – then one day she called up and pitched this idea of ONLY to me. She had been percolating it on her own for months and I thought it was just great. She said “do you want to do it with me?” and that was that.
I can only see the benefits of our collaboration. When I think about how the film would have been different if we hadn’t collaborated from the beginning – I realize that we did something together that perhaps we could not have done on our own. Specifically, you need someone close to you at every turn whose judgement you can trust – who you can bounce something off of and know they are going to give you the straight goods. We did that for each other.
Now do this for yourself: see the film. Thanks for reading.
