''Range Roads'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by

Kyle Thomas Kyle Thomas (born 23 June 1983) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, producer, and actor. His first feature film, '' The Valley Below'', premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. It garnered two Canadian Screen Award nomin ...

and released in 2021 by Calgary-based production company North Country Cinema.Eric Volmers
"The Quiet Road: Calgary filmmaker's sophomore film, Range Roads, a subtle drama about estranged siblings"
''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'', April 16, 2021. The film stars Alana Hawley Purvis as Frankie King, an actress who has been estranged from her family for many years but is returning home following the death of her parents, who must navigate continued tensions between her and her brother Grayson (Joe Perry). The cast also includes

Nicole de Boer Nicole de Boer is a Canadian actress. She is best known for starring in the cult film ''Cube'' as Joan Leaven, playing Ezri Dax on the final season of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1998–1999), and as Sarah Bannerman on the series '' The ...

, Kris Demeanor, Jude Thomas, and Trevor Campbell, as well as the acting debut of country singer

Chad Brownlee Chad Brownlee (born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian country music artist, songwriter, actor, and former ice hockey defenceman. He has one #1 Canada Country hit with " Forever's Gotta Start Somewhere". Sports career Brownlee was a draft pick for t ...

. The film had entered the planning stages in 2013, while Thomas's prior film ''

The Valley Below ''The Valley Below'' is a Canadian dramatic film, released in 2014. The feature film debut of filmmaker Kyle Thomas,

'', whose cast included Hawley Purvis, Perry and Demeanor, was still in production, but due to the various other projects that Thomas and the cast were involved in and the challenges of raising money to fund it, it took several years of discussions for ''Range Roads'' to take shape. The film was shot in the

Olds Olds may refer to: People * The olds, a jocular and irreverent online nickname for older adults * Bert Olds (1891–1953), Australian rules footballer * Carl D. Olds (1912–1979), New Zealand-born American mathematician * Chauncey N. Olds (181 ...

area of

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

in 2020. The film premiered at the 2021 Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival in March 2021,Randy Myers
"Cinequest 2021: Here are 12 films to see at San Jose’s virtual fest"
''

The Mercury News ''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidiar ...

'', March 16, 2021. and had its Canadian debut on April 17 as part of the

Canadian Film Festival The Canadian Film Festival, formerly known as the Canadian Filmmakers Festival, is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario. Showcasing a program of Canadian independent films, it is held in March of each year and usually runs for five days. ...

.Liam Lacey
"The Canadian Film Festival: Films by emerging Canadian filmmakers find a second-time-around pandemic home on Super Channel"
''Original Cin'', April 1, 2021.

Critical response

Reviewing the film for ''

'', Randy Myers wrote that "Thomas shows a natural grace with his storytelling, delicately handling a surprising family secret, and making Frankie a complicated and likeable character. 'Range Roads' might travel a familiar road, but its characters and situations are refreshingly real."

Awards

The film won the awards for Best Feature and Best Director at the 2021

Rosie Awards The Rosie Awards is the name given to the Alberta Film and Television Awards, presented annually by Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA). AMPIA is non-profit professional association that supports its members by encouraging the ...

. Hawley Purvis received a

Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards (french: link=no, Les prix Écrans canadiens) are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media (web series) p ...

nomination for

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

at the

10th Canadian Screen Awards The 10th Canadian Screen Awards were held on April 10, 2022, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media production in 2021.Etan Vlessing"Maitreyi Ramakrishnan to Receive Canadian Screen Awards Special Honor" ''The Hollyw ...

in 2022.Brent Furdyk
"2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack"
''

ET Canada ''ET Canada'' (previously referred to as ''Entertainment Tonight Canada'') is a Canadian entertainment news television series, using the same format as the American entertainment newsmagazine ''Entertainment Tonight''. ''ET Canada'' is a broadcas ...

'', February 15, 2022.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 10102080 2021 films 2021 drama films Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films Films shot in Alberta Films set in Alberta Films directed by Kyle Thomas 2020s English-language films 2020s Canadian films