Shook is a Canadian drama film, directed by Amar Wala and released in 2024.[1]
| Shook | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Amar Wala |
| Screenplay by | Amar Wala Adnan Khan |
| Produced by | Karen Harnisch Amar Wala |
| Starring | Saamer Usmani Bernard White Amy Forsyth Pamela Mala Sinha |
| Cinematography | Peter Hadfield |
| Music by | Kalaisan Kalaichelvan |
Production companies | Film Forge Scarborough Pictures |
| Distributed by | Elevation Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Languages | English Hindi |
An expansion of his 2018 short film of the same name, which starred Raymond Ablack as Ashish and Sugith Varughese as his father, the film is based in part on Wala's own experiences after his real father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.[2]
Premise
editAshish (Saamer Usmani), an Indo-Canadian aspiring writer living in the Scarborough district of Toronto, is torn between a desire to move downtown to pursue his career dreams and his sense of obligation to reconnect with his estranged father Vijay (Bernard White) after the older man is diagnosed with Parkinson's.[3]
Production
editWala co-wrote the screenplay with novelist Adnan Khan.[3] In an interview with the Canada Media Fund, Wala cited Good Will Hunting as an inspiration for Shook, hoping to present Scarborough in a similar manner as the former film depicted Boston.[2]
Cast
edit- Saamer Usmani as Ashish
- Bernard White as Vijay
- Amy Forsyth as Claire, a barista with whom Ashish develops a romantic relationship
- Pamela Mala Sinha as Ashish's mother Nisha,[3]
- Izad Etemadi
- Darrin Baker
- Olivier Lamarche
- Sammy Azero
- Faizan Khan
- Scott Edgecombe
- Sharjil Rasool
- Rehan Suleman
- Devanshu Narang
- Amit Divekar
Release
editThe film premiered in the Discovery program at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.[4]
Critical response
editPat Mullen of That Shelf wrote that "Shook tours through the neighbourhoods of Toronto, observing these relationships as they play out in noodle shops, coffee houses, bars, trendy cocktail joints, and house parties. Wala brings a great sense of place to Shook. He unabashedly shoots Toronto as Toronto and echoes his own protagonist's drive to root his stories in people and places that are recognizably real. Shook sometimes struggles in scripting the dialogue, though, as some exchanges are a bit on the nose, particularly regarding the racial dynamics at play. At the same time, this observation comes from a white critic's perspective and echoes points that Ash and company hammer home: it's impossible to know life through another's eyes."[5]
References
edit- ^ Kelly Townsend, "Amar Wala goes to camera on Scarborough-set feature". Playback, June 19, 2023.
- ^ a b Randoja, Ingrid. "Amar Wala: All Shook Up". Canadian Media Fund. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Vlessing, Etan. "Saamer Usmani, Amy Forsyth Join Amar Wala's 'Shook' Drama (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Zac Ntim, "TIFF 2024: Laura Carreira’s ‘On Falling’ & ‘Bonjour Tristesse’ Starring Chloë Sevigny Among Titles Set For Discovery Sidebar". Deadline Hollywood, July 24, 2024.
- ^ Pat Mullen, "Shook: TIFF 2024 Review". That Shelf, September 7, 2024.
External links
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