The Toe Tactic (2008)

Mona is nearly overwhelmed by grief and depression. After her father's death, she's cut herself off: leaving teaching - she now temps as an office assistant, ignoring her mother's calls, ... See full summary »

Director:

Emily Hubley

Writer:

Emily Hubley

Stars:

Lily Rabe, H. Jon Benjamin, Xander Berkeley

Cast

Credited cast:
Lily Rabe	...	Mona Peek
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
H. Jon Benjamin	...	Police Officer
Xander Berkeley	...	Dad
Don Byron	...	Ralph (voice)
Kevin Corrigan	...	Hector Freegood
Richard Cox	...	Stalker Timmy
David Cross	...	Timmy (voice)
Ann Dowd	...	Honey Woman
Jon Glaser	...	Tooot
Hillary Hubley	...	Young Mona
Sakina Jaffrey	...	Lacticia Utt
Daniel London	...	Elevator Man
Jane Lynch	...	Honey Strumpet
Andrea Martin	...	Honey (voice)
Eugene Mirman	...	Night Elevator Man

Storyline

Mona is nearly overwhelmed by grief and depression. After her father's death, she's cut herself off: leaving teaching - she now temps as an office assistant, ignoring her mother's calls, talking to herself in mirrors, and rejecting any offered intimacy. She's watched over by comic extraterrestrial beings whom we see as cartoon squiggles. They ensure that random acts bring her connections - with a neighbor boy, his mother, and his surreptitious piano teacher (the lad wants to surprise his mom). She also meets an elevator operator in the building where she temps for Ms. Hadaway, a widow with perfect diction. Can Mona take a few steps on the road to expressing emotion?

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Plot Keywords:

piano | extraterrestrial | extraterrestrial being | teacher | elevator | 

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Genres:

Animation | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 January 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orchard Pictures, Hubbub, Hermetic Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Go see The Toe Tac Tic - but don't expect to win the game.

Control - of our lives, our relationships, our destiny or ultimate fate may be the greatest fantasy most people have.

In The Toe Tac Tic, Emily Hubley's soon-to-be classic, the often subtle physical expressiveness of the cast (which includes Kevin Corrigan, Daniel London, Novella Nelson and Sakina Jaffrey), epitomized by actress Lily Rabe, combines with other symbols - like language - and animated mischief-making characters in the Native American tradition of Coyote.

Everyone sees symbols, signs to which they give meaning, or refuse to consider might be indications, like a slave's quilt, of where to find freedom from their fear of losing control. Mona Peek appears to learn, eventually, that control is an illusion. Perhaps, just perhaps, what's real is that we're all just characters.

Go see it. You'll know what I mean. You'll want to be surprised where life leads you when you stop believing you have the power to control it.