TIFF50 - Butterfly on a Wheel-short film

 

Butterfly on a Wheel

Short film: 36min - TIFF Market Screening

Director: Trevor Morris

Starring: Curran Walters

SynopSet against Toronto’s vibrant urban landscape, Butterfly on a Wheel tells the story of Jacen Davis (Curran Walters), a gifted young jazz musician at the Royal Conservatory of Music, whose immense talent is shadowed by struggles with OCD and anxiety. With the support of his brother Dylan (Michael Provost) and an unexpected connection with Sorrel (Brielle Robillard), Jacen embarks on a journey of resilience, self-acceptance, and creative freedom.

This film perfectly demonstrates what it's like living with his OCD/Anxiety struggles while trying to manage a career and relationships. It's both sweet and sad.   The cinematography is thoughtful and gorgeously lit, which I really appreciate.  The small cast performs with a lot of emotion that translates very well on screen.  I especially love the visuals of Toronto, from the chaotic city life to the Skyline views, and then to the serene and clean Royal Conservatory room.  The music is woven throughout the film to showcase the depth of the lead character's talent.  I was very impressed by all of the work that Trevor Morris did on this film, a lot of attention to detail, and you can see it all in the production value on screen and you can tell he put his heart into this film.

I sent my friend Gerald Dykstra to see the film because he works at the Royal Conservatory.  Here is his review:

Butterfly on the Wheel is a great short film. Wonderfully shot around Toronto and at the Royal Conservatory of Music.  Sound is a big part of this movie and you really feel it when the character Jacen (Curran Waters) is overwhelmed with the sounds of the city. He can retreat into his music but his anxiety prevents him from performing. The acting is superb and you really follow Jacen on his journey to overcoming his anxiety.  Supporting actors are great at doing just that supporting Jacen on his journey.  The ending is wonderful.  The score of the movie along with piano playing is fantastic.  The writer/director (Trevor Morris) also composed the music for the film and he clearly knows what he is doing.  What a great uplifting film.

Official Site: butterflythefilm.com

Trevor Morris: trevormorris.com | IMDb | Instagram

Tiff 50 - Roofman- Smart man makes stupid decisions

ROOFMAN

TIFF 50 World Premiere

USA  126min

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Starring:

Channing Tatum

Kirsten Dunst

Ben Mendelsohn

LaKeith Stanfield

Juno Temple

Uzo Aduba

Jimmy O. Yang

Peter Dinklage

Roofman is the real-life story of Jeffrey Manchester.  Manchester (Roofman) played by Channing Tatum is a veteran who can't figure out how to return to normal life. He is a kind and smart man who makes really stupid decisions. When he feels like he is letting his family down, he turns to robbing a McDonald's and then gets caught, goes to jail, and uses his power of seeing details to escape from prison.  Unfortunately, he lost his family after robbing the bank, and the only person he has to turn to is a shady guy who makes passports.   He tells him to hide for a month, and then he comes up with a plan to hide in plain sight in a Toys R' Us.  He lives off of M&M's and takes the store's video games to a pawn shop to get money.  He sets up video surveillance on the store's staff so he can see what they are doing and falls in love with a woman (Kirsten Dunst) who works in the store.  He feels bad for her after she asks her manager for toys for a toy drive, and he rudely declines.  Roofman takes it upon himself to show up at her church with a pile of the store's toys.  Someone at the Church ushers him in and makes him stay, and he is introduced to the woman, and they start dating. She has 2 daughters whom he tries to bond with because he misses his own family.

You can only keep up a double life for so long, and eventually someone will catch on, and then it's over.  Unfortunately, his make-shift normal life wasn't destined to last, and Roofman gets busted in an unexpected way.

This film is funny, but it is also thought-provoking about what happens to veterans when they return to civilian life, and if there aren't opportunities to channel skills, then what do people choose to do to survive?

To watch the trailer, check out the film's website:

Roofman | Official Website | October 10 2025

#Roofman