Chris Owens in The Uncles
From a review of the Toronto International Film Fest:
Best Canadian film: Jim Allodi's The Uncles was a delight, and in many ways it's a very atypical Canadian film with its depiction of a very typical Canadian immigrant experience. It focuses on the life of a first-generation Canadian-born son (played by Chris Owens) and the responsibility he feels toward his Italian family. The film perfectly captures the Toronto College Street Italian community, although it truly comes alive when it moves outside the city and into the countryside, with scenes that are strangely reminiscent of some of Ingmar Bergman's depiction of the Swedish country, and how the characters change when removed from their natural environments. This is a film that deserves wide release.
Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival review:
The Uncles
Sunday, February 4 Capitol 6 theatre 6 9:45 pm
Saturday, February 10 Capitol 6 theatre 6 7:00 pm
Directed by Jim Allodi
Ontario
35 mm
94 minutes
Western Canadian Premiere
The Uncles is the latest production by the Canadian Film Centre's Feature Film project. Writer-director Jim Allodi's foray into features is a bittersweet comedy-drama which traces the challenges facing restaurant manager John Toma as he tries to control complications in his private and family life.
In the beginning there is a desire for babies. In the end is the fulfillment of that desire. But in between are the strange machinations of fate and human desire that get us there. John (Chris Owens of X-files fame) is a sincere, reasonable man. Since their father walked out on the family, he's been the breadwinner and dutiful son. But things grow complicated when his simple-minded 30-year-old sister Celia (Tara Rosling) starts stealing other people's babies. On top of that, his easy-going brother Marco seems to spend more time on the soccer field than at the books. John pays for his brother's schooling with the hope that his brother can escape the kind of life he has had to lead.
As if his family responsibilities weren't enough, John's got baby problems on the girlfriend front, too. His lover, the married daughter-in-law of his boss, is aching to have a child and wants John to be the father. John is torn between his duties to his immediate family and loyalty to his boss. As his carefully controlled world starts to unravel, John struggles to maintain control. He even considers having someone impregnate his sister so she can have a baby.
But lady fate doesn't appreciate interference. And John is about to find out that sometimes you have to lose something to gain something. He learns the hard way that sublimating your desires doesn't always pay off, even if you're a good guy.
Engaging ensemble work and solid writing make this debut feature a strong entry into Canadian feature filmmaking.
Canadian Film Centre synopsis
Eye review
