Guest of Honour seems to be about Jim, a health inspector who used to run a restaurant in Hamilton, Ontario. Jim is meticulous in his role and is well-suited to his new profession. Unfortunately for viewers of the film, the story drifts elsewhere.
Jim's (English actor David Thewlis) story is compelling but a little confusing. His story feels real. When the story shifts to Veronica, his daughter (Laysla De Oliveira), we get this storyline that feels very fake and unauthentic.
How disturbed Veronica might be would matter if her story had any credibility. She served time for a sexual assault where she doesn't seem to be guilty. She asked for the maximum time. Yet her prison time seems to have made no impact on her as a person.
Her guilt stems from a time in her past. Veronica's telling of the story doesn't have much actual guilt and her memory doesn't seem to be clear as to what might have happened. She is angry at Jim.
Since the story is told as past and present, Veronica can't confront Jim on some of these issues. Veronica ends up telling this story to a local priest (American actor Luke Wilson).
The film plays out with the audience learning more about Veronica's story and Jim trying to understand what is happening. The parallel father-daughter stories should tell us something about them yet they don't. They might as well be separate stories.
Even when the audience learns more about the stories, the questions remaining are now about "huh" as opposed to wondering about the motivation.
Atom Egoyan is one of the best filmmakers in the world, Canadian or otherwise. Thewlis is marvelous in his performance; if the film had been more about him, the film would be better. De Oliveira's performance feels a bit stiff but likely due to not knowing any more of what makes Veronica tick. Wilson has little to do in his role. Egoyan gives him knowledge of certain facts that feels unbelievable and might be a violation of priest confidence. What might seem suspenseful is more shock and not in a good way.
The cast also features Rossif Sutherland, Alexandre Bourgeois, and Tennille Read as well as Egoyan's wife, Arsinée Khanjian.
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
As good as Egoyan is, few directors get it right every time.
Guest of Honour played at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is available on Crave in Canada and on demand in the United States.
video credit: YouTube/Movie Coverage
photo credit: Guest of Honour film
Comments