Canadian road flick "Borealis" an enlightening must-see

"Borealis" co-stars Jonas Chernick (left) and Joey King

At this year's Montreal World Film Festival, which concluded its 39^th edition this past Labour Day (Sept. 7), I managed to catch only one film, and what a really good one it is! It's the Canadian feature called "Borealis" by Sean Garrity, which had its world premiere at the MWFF, and it's a road trip movie with plenty of humour and humanity. Starring Jonas Chernick (who also co-produced the film and wrote its screenplay) and Joey King, it tells the story of a rather dysfunctional father and daughter (the former is a chronic gambler who owes a crushing debt to a violent bookie -- played to scene-stealing perfection by Kevin Pollak -- and the latter a rebellious teen who is gradually losing her sight to a visual disorder) who hit the road from Winnipeg to Churchill, Manitoba so they can catch the natural wonder that is the Northern Lights, as a means of re-establishing their fragile family ties. From beginning to end, you really care about the main character's respective quests -- both naturally and emotionally -- and hope they are reached with success. So if you would like an entertaining, reaffirming time at the movies, "Borealis" delivers it with flying colours. I wish the film a great deal of success, as it heads to the Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Sudbury film festivals before its general release in theatres across Canada early next year. For more information about “Borealis”, go to www.borealisthemovie.com.