Teenage runaways hitchhike across Nova Scotia in Weirdos. Kit (Dylan Authors) is a 15 year old boy who lives with his father (Allan Hawco) and grandmother (Cathy Jones) in a small town in 1976 Nova Scotia. Kit decides that he wants to go to Sydney and live with his estranged mother (Molly Parker). Accompanied by his girlfriend Alice (Julia Sarah Stone), Kit goes hitchhiking to Sydney and has imaginary conversations with his “spirit animal” Andy Warhol (Rhys Bevan-John).
The latest film from director Bruce McDonald is this coming of age story set during the summer of 1976. Kit is a teenager, who is conflicted about his personal identity and decides that life would be better for him living with his artist of a mother. Kit is accompanied on his journey across Nova Scotia by his girlfriend Alice, who is beginning to suspect that Kit’s feelings for her might not be that genuine. During this journey, both discovers truths about themselves, including how it is alright to be considered a weirdo.
Weirdos is shot in a very surreal looking black and white, which lets you take in the Nova Scotia landscape. The bulk of the film focuses on the two young leads, with other characters weaving in and out of the story. Dylan Authors (The Husband) and Julia Sarah Stone (Wet Bum, The Unseen) have great chemistry together, even after some strains begin to form in Kit and Alice’s relationship. Then there is the added quirky element of Kit seeing visions of Andy Warhol, who gives him life advice. Other characters weave in and out of Weirdos throughout the film, culminating with Kit reuniting with his mother.
The release of Weirdos is somewhat well timed, as the film won two Canadian Screen Awards last week, including Best Supporting Actress for Molly Parker and Best Original Screenplay for Daniel MacIvor. Parker’s win is especially notable, since her character doesn’t even show up on screen until the film’s final act. However, it’s Kit’s interactions with his mother, who is clearly not the person he envisions her to be, that completes the personal journey that he is on throughout the film.
Altogether, Weirdos is a delightful coming of age story that demonstrates how our quirks makes us who we are.
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