Trigger

Vic (Tracy Wright) and Kat (Molly Parker) are childhood friends and former rock duo Trigger. Vic is a recovering drug addict and trying to live a stable life in Toronto. There is a benefit tribute titled Women in Rock and the duo is being celebrated. Vic is leery of Kat's wavering sobriety and selling out in L.A. as Kat returns to attend the tribute. They reconnect after breaking up some ten years earlier.

It's a talkative movie with Wright and Parker. There is a constant waiting for a reveal of what happened to their relationship. It doesn't necessarily satisfy in that sense but there is a surprise reveal. There are some solid relationship moments. It does lack something bigger or more dramatic. In the end, it's a shorter film that has a lot talk but some of it does go in circles.

Dialogue-heavy can be interesting if the dialogue is well written. This isn't. Before Sunrise parallels but that was a well done film. This is sadly an example of certain Canadian films; unfocused, cliched and lacking a plot. Tracy Wright and Molly Parker do their best. Fun seeing Callum Keith Rennie as always.

Lots of storylines that go nowhere. Interesting seeing Toronto places, hey that's the Etobicoke School For the Arts, there's Herb something Motors which was a former car dealership. The shot of streetcars, downtown buildings, and Don McKellar gets two lines. Sarah Polley is in this but can't recall who she was. Backstage manager?

Movies that are heavily dialogue based don't come along very often. It is a difficult task to master and it requires some brilliant writing(MacIvor) and talented direction (MacDonald) to hold an audience's interest. Before Sunrise did this well, as did Before Sunset. The key elements are: a strong cast,and a subject that is important to more than just the characters on the screen.

This story takes place over the course of an evening. Following a montage of flashback scenes we find Vic (Tracy Wright)waiting for Kat (Molly Parker)in a restaurant where Vic does not want to be. She finds the place to be ostentatious, though Vic finds a much simpler way to say it. During the meal some light begins to shine on these two women and their oil and vinegar relationship.

After the restaurant, and a couple of flashes to what might have happened if, the camera journeys along with the pair to a 'Women in Music' tribute concert that just happens to be going on. Toronto at night gets some screen time as the drama of the reunion of the former friends continues.

If you are looking for a concert film, or the history of rock 'n' roll, then this is not the one for you. It is dialogue driven, rather than musically motivated. It is a story about relationships and life. There is one performance and that seems pretty amazing since the two have not see in each other in ten years. Sometimes the movie takes itself too seriously trying to offer the meaning of life, love and happiness through the words of a couple of former wannabe rock stars.

The performances by Molly Parker and Tracy Wright are compelling. There is a chemistry that makes the tension and competition between the women credible. Even after only knowing them for seventy-eight minutes the viewer is left caring about the characters and the outcome.

5/15/18. 83 minutes was just about the right length to watch this extremely emotionally difficult movie of two women trying to reconnect on an emotional level. One is never sure what kind of a relationship they had before this movie takes place, except maybe it was intense and drug-addled. As they bicker at each other for most of the movie you get a glimpse of what probably kept them together. As they get up on stage and gave an impromptu performance in the present, you can feel the electricity between them that all but dissipated once they got off the stage. The performance was probably the only thing worth watching.