film synopsis
This remarkable story of love and resilience introduces us to Judy and Eddie, both from hard-working, self-reliant Canadian stock, whose 23 years of marriage have been defined by adoring companionship and quiet humor. Eighteen of those years have also involved managing Judy’s early-onset Parkinson’s disease, and the raising of their now teenage son, Jamie. Directionless Jamie reluctantly trades the routine of his hometown for the hypermasculine bootcamp of life on an oil rig, only to retreat home when his mother needs him most. As Judy, Shirley Henderson’s remarkable physicality is just one element of her moving performance, an embodiment of a woman determined to remain independent, and allow her boy to become a man in his own time.
A profoundly empathetic story of a family facing hardship with grace and dignity, Kathleen Hepburn’s debut feature grew out of her own family’s experience, and first took the form of a short film screened at the Palm Springs International ShortFest in 2016.