Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
post-apocalyptic science fiction film, directed by Jovanka Vuckovic.
Plot
Set in the town of Potter's Bluff, where a mysterious virus has killed all the adults and left society entirely in the hands of rival teen
gang
A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...
s, the film stars
Madison Iseman
Madison Iseman (born February 14, 1997) is an American actress. She is known for playing Charlotte in the CMT comedy television series ''Still the King'', She is also known for playing Rain Burroughs in ''Fear of Rain'', Bethany Walker in '' Jum ...
and
Paloma Kwiatkowski
Paloma Kwiatkowski (born May 29, 1994) is a Canadian film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Thalia Grace in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (film), ''Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters'' (2013) and Cody in Bates Motel (TV seri ...
as Nat and Scratch, a
lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
couple who must go behind enemy lines to rescue Nat's brother Jack (Alexandre Bourgeois) after he is captured by the wealthy and powerful West Side gang led by jock Jeremy (
Munro Chambers
Munro Chambers (born July 29, 1990) is a Canadian actor who is best known for his roles as Wilder on ''The Latest Buzz'' (2007–2010), Elijah "Eli" Goldsworthy on ''Degrassi'' (2010–2015), Frankie Chandler on ''Lockwood'' (2016–present) and ...
).
Cast
*
Madison Iseman
Madison Iseman (born February 14, 1997) is an American actress. She is known for playing Charlotte in the CMT comedy television series ''Still the King'', She is also known for playing Rain Burroughs in ''Fear of Rain'', Bethany Walker in '' Jum ...
as Nat
*
Paloma Kwiatkowski
Paloma Kwiatkowski (born May 29, 1994) is a Canadian film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Thalia Grace in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (film), ''Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters'' (2013) and Cody in Bates Motel (TV seri ...
as Scratch
*Alexandre Bourgeois as Nat's brother Jack
*
Munro Chambers
Munro Chambers (born July 29, 1990) is a Canadian actor who is best known for his roles as Wilder on ''The Latest Buzz'' (2007–2010), Elijah "Eli" Goldsworthy on ''Degrassi'' (2010–2015), Frankie Chandler on ''Lockwood'' (2016–present) and ...
as Jeremy
*
Jenny Raven
Jenny Raven is a Hong Kong born actress. She is known for her work on Kims Convenience as Gwen, Irina Wong in the American film ''Flatliners (2017 film), Flatliners'' and Sasha Dixon in the television series ''Designated Survivor (TV series), De ...
as Caine
*
Atticus Mitchell
Atticus Dean Mitchell (born 1993) is a Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Benny Weir in the television film ''My Babysitter's a Vampire'' and series of the same name, and Gabe in the film ''Radio Rebel''.
Early life
...
In September 2016, Clique Pictures announced that Jovanka Vuckovic was to direct the apocalyptic horror film. With financing procured from
Telefilm Canada
Telefilm Canada is a Crown corporation reporting to Canada's federal government through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Headquartered in Montreal, Telefilm provides services to the Canadian audiovisual industry with four regional offices in V ...
, Head Gear Films, the
Northern Ontario Heritage Fund The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) is a Crown corporation and development agency of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines in the Canadian province of Ontario, whose purpose is to provide funding and program support to f ...
, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, Search Engine Films, Urban Post Production, She Wolf Films, and the Harold Greenberg Fund, the cast was announced in October 2017, as well as the start of filming.
The film was shot in
Parry Sound
Parry Sound is a sound or bay of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, in Ontario, Canada. It is highly irregularly shaped with many deep bays and islands. Killbear Provincial Park is located on the large peninsula that separates the sound from Georgian B ...
,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
, Ontario and
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. XYZ Films handled sales for North America, with Alliance Media Partners in charge of international. In January 2019, Cranked Up Films acquired the U.S. distribution rights from XYZ Films.
Reception
Critical response
''The Globe and Mail'''s Anne T. Donahue gave the film 3.5/4 stars, writing, "Thanks to Iseman and Kwiatkowski's heartwarming chemistry, Collins's sharp dialogue and Vuckovic's pointed direction, you find yourself running in step with two young women who are smart, interesting, brave and brilliantly capable." Katie Walsh of the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote, "despite its audacious premise and style, ''Riot Girls'' feels at times underwritten, a few of the performances under-baked. Kwiatkowski and Iseman carry the film, but such a sprawling world is heavy lifting. Nevertheless, Vuckovic ably showcases her fetchingly energetic aesthetic."
John DeFore of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote, "Appealing cinematography and engaging use of split-frame comic-book transitions are the closest the film comes to the excitement of 1990s DIY scene-making; the rest is just derivative genre filler."
Award nominations
The film received five
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 ...