Seagrass
Directed byMeredith Hama-Brown
Written byMeredith Hama-Brown
Produced bySara Blake
Tyler Hagan
StarringAlly Maki
Luke Roberts
CinematographyNorm Li
Edited byShun Ando
Kane Stewart
Music byOscar Vargas
Production
companies
Ceroma Films
Experimental Forest Films
Distributed byGame Theory Films
Release date
  • September 8, 2023 (2023-09-08) (TIFF)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Seagrass is a 2023 Canadian drama film, directed by Meredith Hama-Brown.[1] Hama-Brown's full-length feature debut, the film stars Ally Maki as Judith, a woman who is at a family retreat with her husband Steve (Luke Roberts) and their children following the death of her mother,[1] where she and Steve are coping with tensions in their marriage arising from their status as an interracial couple.[2]

The cast also includes Nyha Huang Breitkreuz, Chris Pang, Sarah Gadon, Hannah Bos, Remy Marthaller, Benjamin Goas, Danielle Klaudt, Miles Phoenix Foley, Gabriel Carter, Kate Gajdosik, Sawyer Proulx, Milania Kerr, Kane Stewart, and Ava Kelders.

Distribution

The film premiered in the Discovery program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival,[3] and screened at the 2023 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival,[4] the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival, and the 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival.

Critical response

Emma Badame of That Shelf wrote that "Hama-Brown’s camera lingers on the gorgeous scenery that surrounds this family in turmoil, and the relentless pounding of the waves against the beaches and cliff faces adds a sense of tension and urgency that belies the tranquility of the rest of their surroundings. As the film finally reaches its climax, and the powder-keg of Judith’s emotion finally explodes, it’s devastating in its simplicity but also in its relatability. It’s clear that in fictionalizing this version of her own experiences and racial identity, the writer-director has struck on something potent and even slightly beautiful about family and parenthood, and the damage done by repeated, generational mistakes. There are no neatly wrapped-up storylines to be found here either, but the layered ending is no less satisfying for its lack of closure. Anything neater would feel like a misstep in a story so grounded in the realities of every day life."[5]

The film was named to TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten list for 2023.[6]

Awards

The film was named to the initial longlist for the 2023 Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award.[7] At TIFF, it was named the winner of the FIPRESCI Prize,[8] and at Cinéfest, it won the award for Outstanding Canadian Feature Film.[9]

At the 2023 Festival du nouveau cinéma, it won the Prix de la diffusion Québécor for best first film in the national competition.[10]

References


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