If you are looking for something to do tonight, there is a new film opening in Toronto.
Directed by Sean Garrity (BFA ‘93), who is currently pursuing an MFA in film at York University, Blood Pressure will be released March 15 in select cinemas across Canada, including the Royal Theatre in Toronto. Joining Garrity as the film’s producer is Matthew Miller, who is also pursuing an MFA in film at York.
Garrity and Miller have created a taut psychological thriller, which follows Nicole, a 41-year-old pharmacist and mother of two teenagers; she is overlooked at work, taken for granted at home, and she wonders if there could be something more. Then one day she receives a letter that starts, “You don’t know me, but I know you.” It is signed only “A Friend.” The letter writer knows all about Nicole; her daily routine, her struggles and her potential for something greater. With an escalating series of rewards and required tasks, flattery and quiet threats, this new “friend” insinuates himself (or herself?) into Nicole’s life, eventually threatening everything that has meaning for her.
Nicole (Michelle Giroux) reads a letter from an anonymous admirerThe film stars Michelle Giroux, Judah Katz (Crash, Casino Jack), Jonas Chernick (The Border), Tatiana Maslany (Eastern Promises, TIFF 2012 Rising Star) and Jake Epstein (Degrassi).
Blood Pressure opened in Winnipeg to sold-out audiences and received rave reviews. Hailed by Indiewire as “a pulse-pounding thriller”, Blood Pressure premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and was nominated for the Borsos Award at The Whistler International Film Festival.
Blood Pressure is the fifth feature from Garrity, who has been recognized for jury awards at the Toronto International Film Festival, Vancouver, Las Vegas, Brussels and Hot Docs, to name a few. His films have won numerous audience awards.
Garrity’s work has been selected by some of the world’s most prestigious festivals including Toronto, Busan, Shanghai, Mannheim, Singapore, Melbourne, Mar del Plata, South by SouthWest, Santa Barbara and Sao Paulo. The films have been translated into 15 languages, the subject of numerous remakes, and they have been distributed and broadcast around the world.
The Royal is located at 608 College Street in downtown Toronto. Click here for the film’s screening times. Tickets for Blood Pressure are available for purchase at the The Royal Theatre Box Office. For more information on the film, visit the Blood Pressure Film website.