NL COMING-OF-AGE FILM TO PREMIERE AT TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESITVAL
(Photo: YouTube.com)
“Closest Monster”, a short film set in Newfoundland and Labrador, is scheduled to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in the fall.
The feature film tells the story of a young man’s sexual uncertainty, dysfunctional parents, and a constant struggle with troubling images of gay bashing he witnessed as a child.
Writer and director Stephen Dunn says the story is somewhat driven by his own experience coming out, along with a series of hate crimes that occurred in St. John’s, Dunn’s hometown, during his childhood.
“I felt like I had no control over it in a way,” says Dunn. “I just had to tell this story. I wanted to share my own struggles and my own experiences coming out in St. John’s in hopes that perhaps my experience might be useful for someone else. That’s the ultimate hope.”
Dunn says “Closest Monster” offers a more contemporary depiction of St. John’s.
“I just wanted to show something that represents what it is like to be young in St. John’s. We haven’t really experienced that yet. I just wanted to show the modern landscape of the city.”
The cast includes Connor Jessup, Aliocha Schneider, Mary Walsh, Marthe Bernard, Joanne Kelly, and Isabella Rossellini.
