A Winters Tale

I know I’ve mentioned this film before but now I’ve actually seen it! Yesterday I joined about 100 high school students, their teachers and a small number of other adults at the Revue for a screening of A Winter’s Tale followed by a Q + A with two of the film’s actors.

I had expected this film to be a poorly made but very well-intentioned piece of social commentary. What I actually experienced was an amazing piece of film-making. From the opening note of pounding, perfectly chosen music to the flawless acting, excellent script, powerful story and tight conclusion this film is a truly awesome piece of cinema. The Q + A session echoed some of the issues in the film; gender stereotypes, racial profiling, community responsibility, masculinity, drug dealing and more.

Filmed in Toronto’s Parkdale community A Winter’s Tale tells a simple story.

Shots ring out one winter night and a bullet meant for a local street dealer kills a ten-year-old boy.

In the downtown Toronto community of Parkdale, grief and suspicion hang heavily in the air, while the nightly patrons at Miss G’s Caribbean TakeAway resume their ritual of beer and banter.

But one of them, Gene Wright, cannot go on. He begs his friends for help. In a most unusual development, six Black men make a pact to form a support group in hopes of salvaging their broken spirits and redeeming their besieged community.

I highly encourage everyone to go see this film. To find out about showtimes and to see a trailer check out A Winters Tale.