Suze | |
Director: | Dane Clark Linsey Stewart |
Producer: | Matt Code Kristy Neville |
Starring: | Michaela Watkins Charlie Gillespie Sara Waisglass Aaron Ashmore |
Cinematography: | Jordan Kennington |
Editing: | Hugh Elchuk |
Studio: | Wildling Pictures |
Distributor: | Levelfilm |
Runtime: | 93 minutes |
Country: | Canada |
Language: | English |
Suze is a 2023 Canadian comedy-drama film, written and directed by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart.[1] The film stars Michaela Watkins as Suze, a woman whose feelings of empty nest syndrome after her daughter Brooke (Sara Waisglass) moves away to attend university lead her to become a doting mother figure to Brooke's ex-boyfriend Gage (Charlie Gillespie) even though she never liked him at all when he and Brooke were dating.[2]
The cast also includes Aaron Ashmore, Tricia Black, Rainbow Sun Francks, Sandy Jobin-Bevans, E. Fegan DeCordova, Catherine De Seve, Oscar Hsu, Sorika Wolf, Ordena Stephens, Neha Kohli and Ajahnis Charley in supporting roles.
The film entered production in fall 2022 in Hamilton, Ontario.[2]
The film premiered at the 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival on September 16, 2023,[3] and was screened at the 2023 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival,[4] and the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival.
Richard Crouse gave the film three and a half stars and wrote, "Suze is a never-judge-a-book-by-its-cover story, with a few laughs, some earned heartfelt moments and heaps of compassion."[5]
In a positive review, Sarah Gopaul of Digital Journal wrote, "The performances of Watkins and Gillespie are what make this picture sweet rather than an awkward May-December drama."[6]
For Exclaim!, Sarah Regan wrote that "Suze, much like the lesson instilled upon Susan and Gage about faulty first perceptions, should not be judged by its cover; dig deep and viewers will discover a tale of the transformative power of unlikely relationships and connection, and how a shared experience can allow one to rediscover their purpose."[7]
At Calgary, the film won the Air Canada Award for Best Canadian Narrative Feature, and Gillespie received a special jury citation for his performance.[8]