official description
A sophisticated blend of auteur and genre filmmaking, Carl Bessai’s tenth feature takes us on a thrilling and provocative journey through the personal hell of trauma and addiction.
On a random Wednesday, the residents of a rehab centre in Mission, B.C. are granted a rare one-day-pass to venture back into the world and make amends with those they have wronged. Kyle (Dustin Milligan) reaches out to his kid sister, who refuses to speak to him. Sonia (Amanda Crew) decides not to confront her ailing, abusive father in the hospital, only to learn later in the day that he has died. Meanwhile, Weeks (Richard de Klerk) is left feeling powerless and quietly enraged after visiting his violent father in prison.
This rotten Wednesday is one that none of the protagonists want to live through again, yet that is exactly what happens when they wake up the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. Compulsive repetition suits these addicts just fine, and before long they embrace the opportunity to make the daily slate as messy as possible, knowing that it will soon be wiped clean. But after allowing themselves some missteps, both minor and massive, Sonia and Kyle realize that their freedom from consequences has set Weeks on a path of sadistic annihilation. With every attempt to contain his violence, Sonia and Kyle go through one hellish day after another, searching for meaning and clarity where none can be found .
Like Harold Ramis’s Groundhog Day, Repeaters concerns itself with some central tenets of existentialism, skillfully mixing them with a wry and thought-provoking commentary on the psychological effects of addiction. Director Carl Bessai has crafted a tense and intelligent action thriller about the price of freedom and the burden of taking responsibility for our actions.
Martin Bilodeau
Principal Cast: Dustin Milligan as Kyle Halsted
Amanda Crew as Sonja Logan
Richard de Klerk as Michael Weeks
Producer: Jason James, Carl Bessai, Irene Nelson, Richard de Klerk
Executive Producer: Melanie de Klerk, Andrew Herwitz
Cinematographer: Carl Bessai
Editor: Mark Shearer
Sound: Miguel Nunes
Music: Jeff Danna
Production Designer: Hank Mann
International Sales Agent: The Film Sales Company
Production Company: Rampart Films Inc.
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