(This review contains a very mild spoiler from very early in the film, also revealed in the IMDb.com summary) Solid psychological drama exploring the tenets of utilitarian morality, boasting a strong young cast with great chemistry (and a lot of promise for what they do next), Ally Was Screaming has an original script and premise, which is very welcome in this age of repeated remakes, re-imaginings and sequels. Ally often leaves you unsettled at the choices the lead characters make when they find their deceased friend left behind a winning lottery ticket (don't worry, not really a spoiler, this happens VERY early in the film), but they can just about charm you into agreeing with their choices, thanks to the strengths of the writing and Jeremy Thomas' direction, who also makes the audience ask themselves "what would I do?" Loved the naturalistic cinematography, especially the candlelight driven climax. The "coming into a fortune, but with a catch" idea has been done before, but never in such a unique way; in fact, it's one of the most unique films I've seen in a long time. Thomas seems assured and confident with his camera, never lapsing into the overused "shaky camera-syndrome" that too many of his contemporaries feel is the only way to shoot a thriller. This flick is well-paced and will spark a lot of post-viewing arguments among friends about right and wrong, morality, and the semantics behind it. It's nice to be reminded too that Canadian cinema doesn't have to be just "intimate family dramas" about quirky characters in a rural locale, but can instead be about a couple of "smart dudes" in the big city, who dig themselves in a little too deep and then may or may not want to try to dig themselves out. I look forward to what this director has in store next for us.
Review of Ally Was Screaming
