Well, though I don't much about the movie thus far, I am still looking forward to viewing this film. Reason(1) Filmed not far from me, well two small provinces to my right ( maybe a 2 hour flight) in Canada here. Reason(2) Because Wally Langham is part of the cast. Huge fan and loved everything his been apart of to this point.
If anyone has a better summary for the movie, would love to read it.
hey, I was an extra in some of the high school scenes for this. Didn't get to meet Wallace though, since he wasn't in any of those scenes. Hope this helps....it's an article that came out when the movie was shooting.
A coming-of-age pot story
film Melski in Moncton shooting Growing Op, his first feature film
DEAN LISK
Sure it's a story about growing pot, but Michael Melski said his film is more a tale about growing up.
"The cannabis is alive and well in the film, and we make a lot about the situation," said the director. "It is really, for me, a film about the power of nature, the pull of family and the lure of first love."
While most filmmakers are in Halifax for the Atlantic Film Festival, Melski is in Moncton shooting his first feature film, Growing Op.
In the film - it's about halfway through its 21-day shooting schedule - a lonely, home-schooled teenager decides to rebel against his pot-growing parents by enrolling in high school.
Melski came up with the story while he was directing the TV series Robson Arms in Vancouver in 2004. He would listen to the local rock radio station on his way to and from the set, and there always seemed to be a story about a suburban grow-op being busted.
"I am always looking for paradoxes and contradictions. Those, I find, are really fascinating touchstones of human behaviour," he said.
"As a story about nature, the idea of a grow op and something wild growing in the middle of staid suburbia with manicured lawns and symmetry, is a nice metaphor for growing up."
Appearing in the film are Rosanna Arquette, Rachel Blanchard, Alberta Watson, Daniel MacIvor, Wallace Langham and Steven Yaffee as the rebellious teen, Quinn.
"He wants to be normal, well, what he thinks is normal, which is going to school because he has never been to school," Yaffee said about the 18-year-old Quinn. "He is very complex. He carries around this shame and guilt about what his parents do."
Melski said Yaffee has impressed everyone involved in the film.
"Steven is wonderful," he said. "What a surprise it was to find him in the Toronto auditions. I saw quite a few people in the Maritimes for that role and I just didn't seem to find someone that was, like, ringing the bells."
While Melski has directed short films and TV shows, this is his first time directing a feature-length film. Helping him is fellow Halifax filmmaker Thom Fitzgerald (The Hanging Garden, Three Needles), who is acting as executive producer of the $2-million film.
"He is very respectful of me and my track record and my work," Melski said about Fitzgerald. "He has gotten behind me in a really positive way. But, he also knows when to just leave (me) alone.
"My favourite thing is when I get e-mails from him saying, 'The rushes look great. Keep on trucking.'
Thanks for the article and it was cool that you got to be an extra in the film. Just that alone must've been fun and exciting.
Would love for you to keep me posted should anything else arise about the film.
thanks again
I saw it on saturday at the VIFF... I really loved it!
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voilà pourquoi
Only went to see it because it was filmed about 10kms from my place. I ended up really enjoying it! Great movie!
shareI knew absolutely nothing about this film pre watching it and am absolutely delighted I did.
It's not going to set the world alight but the acting was very good, the story line went along well and I certainly didn't see it going the way it did.
Would recommend it to anyone that wants to sit and watch an undemanding film.