The other day, to beat the winter blues, my wife and I went to the cinema at the Woodbine Shopping Center with the intention of watching Hollywood’s latest flick.
However, as I joined the line to buy the tickets a lady came up to me and after asking me what I was about to see suggested that I watch her movie instead. “What’s the name of your movie?” I asked. “It’s called A Winter Tale,” she replied, pointing to the poster on the wall. “And why should I watch your movie instead of the one I originally came to watch?” I continued. “Well,” she said, “A Winter Tale is a movie about the many challenges facing black youngsters in Toronto today, you know drugs, guns, dropping out of school and so on, and I am the director!” Who are the actors in it? I queried. “There is Peter Williams, Leonie Forbes and ….” I did not let her finish. “You mean Leonie Forbes from Jamaica?” She nodded her head.
I immediately told her that I would see her movie because Leonie was in it. (Leonie had a KC connection being once married to my good friend and prominent KC Old Boy and fellow veterinarian Dr Keith Amiel.) The director then threw in a freebie. “Since there are two of you,” she continued, “I will give you one ticket free”. So I bought one ticket from the ticket office, got one from her and went in to find a seat.
With twenty minutes to go before show time there were only 3 of us in the cinema and I started to wonder if I had made a good choice. However, by the time the movie started at least 50 seats were filled.
We thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I am not a movie critic but it had some good dialogue, some dead pan humour and the violence was not too excessive. (I had seen Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo the week before!) Although it was made entirely in Toronto the scenes could have well been filmed in Kingston or Montego Bay, except for the snow of course. The acting of the all-black cast was also good and Leonie gave a stellar performance.
Why am I writing about a movie in this newsletter? Well, I promised the director, who asked for feedback and comments at the end of the movie, that I would spread the work about the film to all my friends and encourage them to see it. The movie will open in Jamaica in April so hopefully those of us there will go and see it. After all there is a KC connection, oblique or indirect as it is. Will it be showing in the USA? The director wasn’t sure about that but hopefully the DVD will be out in a few months and everybody will be able to buy it and watch it at home. And for heaven’s sake, do not buy the bootleg copy! In the meanwhile, one can visit the movie’s website at ‘awintertale.ca’.
