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I am sure there is an inner city community in every large western city. I know this one well, because I grew up in it, worked in it and know it like my backhand. This trio of intertwining stories realistically depicts the complexity of this community. A strong community in the '70's, it had degenerated into a drug infested, prostitute roaming "no man's" land. Increasing pressures of gentrification thrust this rich mix of strong characters, compelling story lines and connections together. The character either repulse, enthrall or engage. Some of them do all three. I found the depiction of a young woman trapped by poverty and prostitution not only well scripted but expertly played by Katie Boland. The strong cast is complimented by an incredible director who has been able to extract compelling performances, including the incredible performance of Hayley Guiel, who was the most believable child performance I have seen. Benjamin Ratner, Shawn Doyle and Genevieve Buechner gave solid, enjoyable to watch performances that speak to both their craft and their excellent, intelligent writing. Enjoy the Vancouver references if you know the town, but don't miss this movie.

As an English speaking Canadian, I have experienced first hand the divide between Anglophone and Francophone Canadians. I understood it as cultural insulation as opposed to the true connection between Quebec and rest of the french speaking world. This delightful tale of a down and out Belgian inventor and quest to find out where he comes from, is a strong allegory for Quebec and the rest of us. The acting is subtle, the characters are rich and interesting and it avoids so many clichés that would be easy to fall into. The main character is so real that his longing and personal angst creates a pervasive melancholy to the film. The pace was a bit slow for my partner and I found that this only added to the movie. What I found most interesting was this search for identify motif that Philippe Falardeau so expertly weaves throughout the film. Whether it is the Congoese, Quebecois, adopted or anyone of us. When Jules, his black son, asks Michel(a dumpy white Belgian) "what did I get from you?", Michel is stuck to respond. Looking at his adoptive father, Michel says they all have the same nose. Don't we all.

This South Korean character driven assassin movie has more to offer than most. The main character is a mute who is driven by his need to speak, and the characters around him are more quirky than that. The true impact of this director is the way he takes basic human foibles and create realistic and interesting characters who engage and enthrall you. From the broken down ballet dancer to the down and out karate instructor, you instantly get a feel for who they are and like them. The fact that they are assassins is irrelevant. If you had wished that Kill Bill actually brought you characters worth being the least bit interested in, then this movie is for you.