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Ankle Biters
Cherrypicker
Canada 2021
produced by Michael Flax, Bennet De Brabandere, Sean Sansom (executive), François Dagenais (executive) for Flax Films
directed by Bennet De Brabandere
starring Zion Forrest Lee, Marianthi Evans, Doru Bandol, Evert Houston, Matia Jackett, Colin Mochrie, Rosalee Reid, Lily Gail Reid, Violet Reid, Dahlia Reid, Jani Lauzon, Michael Copeman, Jordan Mills, Gareth Moyse, Heidi von Palleske, Alex Gordon, Maria Sant'Angelo, Ryan Long, Sergio Rocha, Tracey Beltrano, Sean Fisher, Liam Siebolt, Dave Bubba Lewis, Brendan J. Rowland, Dimitri Athanasiou, Peter Schoelier
screenplay by Bennet De Brabandere, music by Maurizio Guarini
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Back
when, Sean (Zion Forrest Lee) was a hockey superstar, but he had
anger issues, and after he beat another player (Dimitri
Athanasiou) to a pulp unprovoked he got barred from the sport. But
he has since turned a new leaf thanks to his new girlfriend Laura
(Marianthi Evans), and the two are madly in love, and not even the fact
that she has four kids (Rosalee, Lily Gail, Violet and Dahlia Reid) from a
previous relationship can deter him to want to marry her. So he has the
lot of them move into his house by the lake in his hometown, and tries to
be the best husband-to-be to his wife, and best surrogate father to the
girls. Now he succeeds in the former, but not so much in the latter - and
it's not him, he really makes an effort, but at the same time has little
experience with children and can't "read" them. And they have
decided early on to not like him, and it's hard to come up against such a
resolution. But what's more, Laura shows bruises every now and again since
she's with Sean, and that Sean has a bag hidden away containing ropes,
handcuffs and tape doesn't really warm the girls up to him. Also, they see
a video on his phone that shows him handle Laura roughly, which doesn't
work in his favour either. Of course, it totally goes beyond the girls
heads that Sean and Laura are both into (very consensual) kinky sex that
sometimes involuntarily leaves marks. But the girls are set to get Sean
out of their lives - and thus kill their babysitter (Matia Jackett), tie
her up with Sean's tape and throw her in the lake next to their house. Of
course, the babysitter's body is found before long, and of course
suspicion soon falls upon Sean, and soon the town who so far celebrated
him as their local hero turns against him, and only Laura remains in his
corner - to the girls' dismay, who soon look for harsher measures to get
rid of Sean ...
A deliciously dark comedy, Ankle Biters is something
like the other side of the coin of wholesome family movies, and actually
has a streak of nihilism to it (also in its surprise shock ending), but
has set out to above all entertain - which it does thanks to a script full
of twists and surprises, a direction that keeps flowing at a steady pace,
and a very competent relatable ensemble cast. And hats off to the girls of
course, as cute as they might look, they do come across as genuinely
creepy.
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