A teenager trying to find her way. An incel young man back in a time where the incel term wasn't being used. Do their stories have parallels? Nicole Dorsey looks at these 2 stories in her debut film Black Conflux set in Newfoundland in 1987.
Jackie (Ella Ballentine) seems like a good kid. Does her homework, tries out for the choir. Amber (Olivia Scriven), Jackie's best friend, tempts Jackie with opportunities to party. The more we learn about Jackie, the more we realize she doesn't need too much temptation to party.
Dennis (Ryan McDonald) has a lot of trouble relating to women. His imagination produces eager and willing women who aren't real. Dennis lives with his sister, who denies his issues.
We learn that Jackie's mother is in prison. She lives with her aunt, who offers little more than housing and food.
The film takes us down separate paths, learning more about Jackie and Dennis. They ultimately met, but no spoilers as to what happened.
The choice of 1987 is an intriguing choice for Dorsey. We see Dennis getting change from the convenience store in bills. The loonie was introduced in 1987 while dollar bills were phased out in 1989. Hitchhiking was a lot more common in Newfoundland back then. Cellphones would make things easier for Jackie in communicating with her aunt. Mostly, the time period in Newfoundland speaks to the seeming difficulty in escaping the Rock. Codco didn't start until 1988.
Unlike in Café de Flore from the late Jean-Marc Vallée, don't get caught up in the symbolism in the parallel stories. Black Conflux is a finely crafted character study. You might see parallels or none at all.
The film creates compelling, very flawed characters and guides you to want to know more.
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TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2019
Nicole Dorsey interview with Q (CBC Radio One)
Black Conflux made the TIFF Top 10 Canadian films of 2019. Your humble narrator has now seen all 10 films from the 2019 list. Given the pandemic, we won't see a full complete list such as the one from 2019 for awhile.
Black Conflux is available on demand in the United States.
video credit: YouTube/TIFF Trailers
photo credit: Black Conflux film
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