The Tracey Fragments (2007)

Director:

Bruce McDonald

Writers:

Maureen Medved (written by)
Maureen Medved (novel)

Release Date:

20 March 2008 (Portugal)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Something's Missing...

Plot:

15-year-old Tracey Berkowitz is naked under a shower curtain at the back of a bus, looking for her little brother Sonny, who thinks he's a dog.

Plot Keywords:

Shower Curtain | Curtain | Bus | Flashback | High School

Awards:

5 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Ellen Page	...	Tracey Berkowitz
Maxwell McCabe-Lokos	...	Lance (as Max McCabe - Lokos)
Ari Cohen	...	Mr. Berkowitz
Erin McMurtry	...	Mrs. Berkowitz
Zie Souwand	...	Sonny Berkowitz
Stephen Amell	...	Detective
Leonard Dunbar	...	Laughing Man
Chris Ratz	...	Donut Shop Cashier
Daniel Fathers	...	Elegant Pimp Daddy
Ryan Cooley	...	David Goldberg
Jeffrey Bornstein	...	The Boy With Curious Hair
Jackie Brown	...	Mrs. Dorchester the Teacher
Kate Todd	...	That Knockout Bitch Debbie Dodge
Slim Twig	...	Billy Zero
Julian Richings	...	Dr. Heker
Derek Scott	...	Headstand Johnny
Dominic Cuzzocrea	...	Waiter in Bar (as Domenic Cuzzocrea)
Enid Rose	...	Woman in Fur
Curtis Fletcher	...	Man in Fur
Shawn Ahmed	...	Satanic Cashier
Norman Yeung	...	VJ
George Stroumboulopoulos	...	Himself
Tasha Davidson	...	Bathroom Bully #1
Ashley Archer	...	Bathroom Bully #2
Todd Sandomirsky	...	Angry Man on Bus
Kristina Nicoll	...	Junkie Woman on Bus
Rufus Crawford	...	Bus Cop
Gordon Masten	...	Bus Driver
Libby Adams	...	Young Tracey
Tara Nicodemo	...	Nurse on Street
Rebecca Auerbach	...	Girl on Street
Martin Villafana	...	The Man

Directed by
Bruce McDonald

Writing credits
Maureen Medved		(written by)
Maureen Medved		(novel)

Produced by
Paul Barkin	....	executive producer
Phyllis Laing	....	executive producer
Kryssta Mills	....	associate producer
Derek Rappaport	....	line producer
Sarah Timmins	....	producer

Original Music by
Broken Social Scene		(score by)

Cinematography by
Steve Cosens		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jeremiah Munce
Gareth C. Scales

Casting by
Sara Kay
Jenny Lewis

Production Design by
Ingrid Jurek

Art Direction by
Pierre Bonhomme

Set Decoration by
Friday Myers

Costume Design by
Lea Carlson

Makeup Department
Sid Armour	....	key makeup artist
Katrin Clark-Citroen	....	key hair stylist
Jessica Fulmer	....	makeup assistant
Peggy Kyriakidou	....	hair assistant

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sarah Buell	....	second assistant director
Chris Matthews	....	third assistant director (as Chris Mathews)
Christen Reynolds	....	third assistant director
Jill Campbell Samson	....	first assistant director (as Jill Samson)
John Sauvé	....	second assistant director (as Jon Sauve)
Norman Yeung	....	second unit director

Art Department
Jonathan Bolen	....	set dresser
Lisa Chevrefils	....	set dresser
Sophia Chirovsky	....	art department assistant: second unit
Brian Cranstone	....	carpenter
David Cumer	....	carpenter
Erich Entner	....	assistant props (as Erick Entner)
Lori Galenic	....	set dresser
Winston Hacking	....	set dresser
Adrian Hardy	....	set dresser
Evan Thaler Hickey	....	art department production assistant
Josh Hilburt	....	graphic artist
Don Little	....	assistant props
Rick Little	....	props master
Patricia McCullagh	....	carpenter
J.D. Moore	....	carpenter (as JD Moore)
April Poppe	....	assistant set decorator
Tania Rihar	....	set dresser
Cheryl Salvas	....	set dresser
Reid Scheidt	....	first assistant art director (as Reid M. Scheidt)
Jeff Schouten	....	painter
Robin Sharp	....	art department production assistant
Joey Shifman	....	carpenter
Shawn Thomas	....	graphic artist
Stephen Willetts	....	scenic painter (as Steve Willetts)

Sound Department
Matthew Chan	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Matt Chan)
Steve Copley	....	foley recordist
Rick Coulombe	....	boom operator
Brad Dawe	....	production sound mixer
Stefan Fraticelli	....	foley artist
Christopher Guglick	....	mixing assistant
John Hazen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jorge Muniz	....	boom operator
Steve Munro	....	sound designer
David Ottier	....	sound recordist: second unit
Kara Purto	....	foley assistant
Tim Pytlik	....	assistant sound editor
Paul Shikata	....	sound effects editor
John Sievert	....	foley artist (as John Seivert)
David Drainie Taylor	....	dialogue/adr editor (as David Draine Taylor)
Randy Wilson	....	foley recordist

Special Effects by
Mark Ahee	....	special effects supervisor
Dylan Hankinson	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Bienvenido Cruz	....	internal title designer
Christian Moreton	....	visual effects supervisor
Jeremiah Munce	....	conceptual designer
Andrew Sims	....	Shake artist

Stunts
Eric Bryson	....	stunt coordinator
Randy Butcher	....	stunt coordinator
Blair Johannes	....	stunt coordinator
Billy Oliver	....	stunt performer
Bryan Thomas	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Liz-Ann Agostino	....	grip
Harald Bachmann	....	Steadicam operator
Nika Belianina	....	electrician (as Veronika Belianina)
Chris Clifford	....	camera operator: second unit
Alistair Dempsey	....	grip
John Hickey	....	first assistant camera
George Kerr	....	gaffer
Sarah Kolasky	....	camera assistant
Dino Laurenza	....	Steadicam operator
Michael LeBlanc	....	director of photography: second unit
Kameron Martin	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera (as Kameron Mann)
Michel Moon	....	camera assistant (as Michael Moon)
Beth Nobes	....	second assistant camera
Matt O'Sullivan	....	still photographer
Steve Payne	....	additional photography
Vince Ponka	....	electric
Loreen Ruddock	....	electric
Jason Sissons	....	key grip (as Jayson Sissons)
Jeff Smallacombe	....	best boy grip
Joe Sutor	....	grip
Ioana Vasile	....	best girl electric (as Ioanna Vasile)

Casting Department
Roisin McGilly	....	extras casting director

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jennifer Buck	....	costume set supervisor
Minda Johnson	....	assistant costume designer
Caitlin Watson	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Grace Carnale-Davis	....	account manager: Technicolor Creative Services
Louis Casado	....	film timer
Matthew Hannam	....	additional editor (as Matt Hannam)
James Kwiatkowski	....	account manager: Technicolor Creative Services
Christian Moreton	....	frame conform
Andrew Pascoe	....	digital imaging services: Technicolor Creative Services
Brian Reid	....	digital imaging services: Technicolor Creative Services

Music Department
Ohad Benchetrit	....	guest musician
Brendan Canning	....	score composition
Robert E. Garfinkle	....	technical support (as Robert Garfinkle)
Stacey Horricks	....	music supervisor: S.L. Feldman & Associates
Bernard Maiezza	....	score composition
Julie Penner	....	guest musician
Elizabeth Powell	....	guest musician
Damon Richardson	....	guest musician
Suzie and The Full Body Rockers	....	guest musician
Charles Spearin	....	score composition
Amy Fritz	....	music supervisor: S.L. Feldman & Associates (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Jonathan Bolen	....	driver
Jeremy Boyd	....	driver
Ray Champion	....	driver
Chris Cunningham	....	transportation coordinator
Troy Cunningham	....	driver
Paul Fler	....	driver
Sandy Griffiths	....	transportation coordinator
Daniel Lee	....	driver
Marco Lopes	....	driver
Ken Malley	....	driver
Derrick Roslaniec	....	driver (as Derek Roslaniec)
Mike Wood	....	driver: honeywagon

Other crew
Daniel Bekerman	....	production coordinator (as Dan Bekerman)
Laurel Bresnahan	....	educational liaison
Michael Brown	....	key location production assistant
Suzanne Cheriton	....	publicity services: Red Eye Media
Ian Cooper	....	legal services: Stohn Hay Cafazzo Dembroski Richmond
Chris Cunningham	....	office production assistant
Heath Fashina	....	e.p.k. editor
Laura Garcia	....	post-production project manager
Winston Hacking	....	production assistant
Joan Hug-Valeriote	....	tutor
Peter Janigan	....	location manager
Billy Khoury	....	script assistant
Lorna MacDougall	....	production accountant
Marylu Martyniuk	....	craft service
Trish Mason	....	script supervisor
Rick Parker	....	animal wrangler
Thomas Power	....	production assistant
Sandra Richmond	....	legal services: Stohn Hay Cafazzo Dembroski Richmond
Kim Rosenberg	....	stand-in
Cheryl Salvas	....	production assistant
Morgan Tams	....	production coordinator: second unit
Kerry Young	....	assistant production coordinator (as J Kerry Young)

Thanks
Olaf Aichinger	....	special thanks
Pam Botterill	....	special thanks
Chester Brown	....	acknowledgment: "Ed the Happy Clown" comic
Dany Chiasson	....	special thanks
Paula D. Curran	....	special thanks
Kevin Drew	....	special thanks
Sam Eigen	....	special thanks
Amy Fritz	....	special thanks
Larissa Giroux	....	special thanks
Bryan Gliserman	....	special thanks
Christine Haebler	....	special thanks
Kishwar Iqbal	....	special thanks
Dan Lyon	....	special thanks
Guy Maddin	....	acknowledgment: Winnipeg stock footage
Dave McReary	....	special thanks
Dacia Moss	....	special thanks
Jim Murphy	....	special thanks
Brandon Paine	....	special thanks
Christina Piovesan	....	special thanks
Jeffrey Remedios	....	special thanks (as Jeff Remedios)
Thorsten Ritter	....	special thanks
Thorsten Schaumann	....	special thanks
Brian Sweet	....	special thanks
Craig David Wallace	....	special thanks (as Craig Wallace)
Tony Wosk	....	special thanks
Charlie Yoko	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Téléfilm Canada (presents) (produced with the participation of) (as Telefilm Canada)
• Shadow Shows (producer)
• Corvid Pictures (in association with)
• Alcina Pictures (in association with)
• Harold Greenberg Fund, The (produced with the participation of) (as Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund Le Fonds Harold Greenberg)
• Movie Network, The (TMN) (produced in association with) (as M The Movie Network An Astral Media Network)
• Movie Central Network (produced in association with) (as Movie Central A Corus Entertainment Company)
• Rogers Telefund (produced with the participation of)
• Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) (produced with the participation of)
• Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) (produced with the participation of) (as Ontario Film and Television Tax Credits - Ontario Media Development Corporation)
• Tracey Fragments

Distributors

• Odeon Films (2007) (Canada) (theatrical)
• 2-1-0 Films (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• THINKFilm (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Koch Media (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• Pan Vision Oy (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA)  acknowledgment (as ACTRA)
• Arts&Crafts Productions  special thanks (as Arts & Crafts)
• Aural Design Research Centre, The  music recorded at (as The Aural Design And Research Centre)
• Black Lodge, The  HD editorial
• Casting Link  special thanks
• Eastern Script Clearance  rights clearances (as Eastern Script)
• Giovanna Trattoria Pizzeria  special thanks (as Giovanna's Restaurant)
• House of Anansi Press  special thanks
• M.M.I. Product Placement  special thanks (as MMI Product Placement)
• Mojo Magazine  special thanks
• Okay, Okay Diner  catering (as Okok Cafe)
• Pauline Johnson Collegiate & Vocational School  special thanks (as Pauline Johnson High School)
• Rancho Relaxo  catering
• Red Eye Media  publicity services
• S.L. Feldman & Associates  music supervision (as SL Feldmans & Associates)
• Stohn Hay Cafazzo Dembroski Richmond  legal services
• Technicolor Creative Services  post-production services
• Theatre D Digital  sound mixing facility
• Wallace Avenue Studios  special thanks (as Wallace Studios)
• th'Schvitz  music recorded at (as Th' Schvitz)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language throughout, some sexual content and violence

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Australia:MA | Finland:K-13 | USA:R | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Téléfilm Canada

Trivia:

As part of the promotion for the Canadian release, the distributor released all of the original footage as downloadable torrent files and encouraged people to re-edit the footage into whatever they saw fit. This is believed to be the first theatrically-released film to make its footage available in such a fashion. Entries ranged from music videos to a complete re-edit of the film in linear order, without split screens.

Quotes:

Tracey Berkowitz:Doctor Hecker, my psychiatrist. She only cares about the, like, 80 bucks an hour she's paid, or whatever, to prevent me from turning into a psycho. Well... it's kinda too late for that.

Movie Connections:

References Bring It On (2000)

Soundtrack:

Ccut Upp

77 minutes is the perfect length for this experimental film

Tracey Fragments is a very experimental film. 95% of the film is shot with two or more screens. Sometimes it's even split up as much as 100 screens! Not often do you see a film where there is more art in the editing than anything else in the film. In fact, some of the split screens act as shattered glass which seemed to be the symbolic meaning of the film where a girl's life i pretty much shattered throughout the film.

Tracey Berkowitz (played by Ellen page) is a fifteen year old girl who thought it would be funny to hypnotize her brother into being a dog. She hates her parents and her school mates. She dreams of starting a rock band with the boy of her dreams, Billy Zero. Very independent, she decides to run away from home to look for her brother. there she has her day from hell.

The first thing I'd like to comment about the film is I thought the script lacked. Ellen Page made this movie watchable but I disliked some of the scenes. In fact, some parts were so ridiculous it almost made me laugh nervously as if they were trying to make the movie corny at times. With that said, I'd have to say that Bruce McDonald did a very good job capturing Tracey with the budget that he had. It's obvious that the film was shot with a hand-held camera but it fit very well with the dark behavior and life that Tracey endured throughout the movie. I also loved the score. I read on one of the message boards for this movie that some replied that they loved and hated this movie. I agree. Some parts were so beautifully captured while some seems completely lacked and didn't fit (once again, the lacking script). The movie is exhausting at times but the last thirty minutes began to pick up again and make the movie interesting.

Ellen Page is a versatile actress and I like her a lot more when she plays darker roles such as this movie and her best performance to date, Hard Candy. I did love Juno but I like these type of roles more. The most memorial seen in the movie is when she stares her mom down and points her finger in her face while screaming at her. It's almost freaky but so well done.

If you love Ellen Page, this movie and Mouth to Mouth need to be seen with an open mind. 77 minutes of this film could feel like two hours.

My verdict 6.25/10