Canadian film alert! One of the most well-reviewed Canuck
flicks of the year thus far opens in Toronto this week. That film is
Molly Maxwell, the new film from CFC
Features.
Molly Maxwell tells of a
schoolgirl named Molly (played by newcomer Lola Tash) who falls for her teacher
(Charlie Carrick) and begins a saucy teacher-student relationship that isn’t by
the book.
Molly, a hip looking coming
of age tale from debut director Sara St. Onge, has been earning raves from
critics and
filmgoers
alike since it premiered at Palm Springs in January and went on to
open the Canadian Front at MoMA in New York. The latter coup is especially
impressive, considering
Molly Maxwell beat
out a triple-bill of Xavier Dolan films to usher in a week of Canadian content in
New York.
Variety gave
Molly Maxwell some particularly good word
on its festival run, noting, “Alternately sultry and vulnerable, Tash adeptly
navigates the contradictions of her character, earning sympathy even in Molly’s
most self-absorbed moments.” Praise for St. Onge is equally good, as the trade
mag says the debut director “shows a Judy Blume-like willingness to confront
the realities of contemporary teenage sexuality, from lesbian classmates to an
awkward Planned Parenthood exam, blending unvarnished honesty with her
propensity for cutesiness.” Sounds exciting! Come join me in giving
Molly Maxwell some props when the film
opens in Toronto at the
Carlton on April 19th.
(Synopsis and trailer after the jump.)
Synopsis: At
Phoenix Progressive School, where everyone tries to outdo each other with
creative self-expression, 16-year-old Molly Maxwell (Lola Tash) would rather be
invisible than risk revealing herself as completely ordinary. When her young,
handsome, disillusioned English teacher (Charlie Carrick) enters the picture
and allows her to just be herself, Molly is suddenly able to flourish. As their
student-teacher bond becomes more intimate, she begins putting herself on the
line in unexpected ways while pursuing what she wants. But with each awkward,
beautiful step towards an impossible romance, Molly risks alienating everyone
she loves.
