We just got back from seeing Victoria Day a new Canadian film set in Toronto in the late 1980s. It's a "teen" film, but a serious one. It's not full of drinking, drugs, sex and ridiculousness but instead attempts to be true to a real teenage life (so it has a bunch of drinking, drugs, sex and ridiculousness, but in a genuine way, if that makes any sense -- the film has all that stuff but it isn't really about all that stuff).

Anyway, it was a great movie, not so much for the story as for the character development. Everyone seemed very real, and genuine. I used that word already but I really think it how best to describe the movie. Genuine. The people and events, although interesting, are also very normal. It makes the movie fantastically believable. Pretty cool stuff.

The ending was fairly flat, but I suppose that fits in with the rest of the movie. Real life doesn't tie itself up into a neat little package at the end of each stage or major life changing event.

I loved all the bits of Toronto in the movie. The neighbourhood the kids lived in was totally North York and it was cool seeing the harbourfront near Ontario Place where I have walked and roller-bladed many times. I'm a bit surprised the movie wasn't screened at the Toronto International Film Festival given the strong connection, but I guess they already had a distributor so they figured it would be best to just get it out there for everyone.

Good movie.