Those regular readers know your humble narrator likes real in a film that is trying to be real. Wexford Plaza does a really good job at emphasizing the real in Scarborough (part of Toronto).
Wexford Plaza is the same similar type of story told by the 2 primary people in what could be described as a flirtation.
Betty (Reid Asselstine) is a young, heavy set woman just starting a new job as a security guard at a strip mall. Danny (Darrel Gamotin) works as a bartender in the mall. Betty's story is the first part of the film while Danny's story ends the film.
We've seen this woven to incredible heights in a German film called Run Lola Run. Wexford Plaza has us convinced that Betty's story is the logical narrative and then challenged by Danny's story. The idea is that we don't know what is happening even within the story.
Writer/director Joyce Wong paints a stark picture of the working poor. Betty's boss Rich (Francis Melling) is a loser who is into sex at any price. He isn't overt to Betty's large breasts but wouldn't turn them down. I knew guys like Rich and a lot of research went into that character. Anton (Mirko Miljevic) is Rich's underling. While Anton doesn't do much in the film, he is that necessary piece to the puzzle in this world.
Other cast members of note in the film are Ellie Posadas, Mitchell Jaramillo, and Ann Paula Bautista.
As someone who was poor starting out, this film is definitely realistic. This may turn off some people but look at this like a well-crafted, truly independent film.
Betty turns 20 in Ontario so drinking and bars is a reality, an element that may throw out those in the States. This is key because Betty's life is this bad as her life is just getting started.
This would be a good film for couples who struggle with the one said/the other said battles within a relationship.
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The Toronto Film Critics Association named Wexford Plaza as a finalist for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award for the 2016 year. The film was a finalist for the John Dunning Discovery Award at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards.
Wexford Plaza can be found on Tubi in the United States.
video and photo credit: Wexford Plaza
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