The Weirdo Hero is a 2015 Canadian independent theatrically released short film about a

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

dealing with depression. The film uses animation together with live-action. The film stars professional wrestler Theo Francon in the lead role as "Fabulous" Frankie Myers, a play on his real life

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

"Ravenous" Randy Myers. The film was partially based on Francon's own life and experiences with depression.

Plot

After winning the main championship of his promotion professional wrestler "Fabulous" Frankie Myers struggles with depression as his real life responsibilities come crashing down around him. Fighting with undiagnosed depression and treading water financially his efforts are made harder by a cartoon version of his subconscious terrorizing him with doubts of his capabilities until he finds himself on the edge of a breakdown.

Cast

* Theo Francon as "Fabulous" Frankie Myers * Hayley Gray as Gina * Brady Roberts as Gary * Jason Cecchini as Riley Zucchini * Ty Olsson as Harold the Hare (voice) *

Briana Buckmaster Briana Buckmaster (born July 15, 1982) is a Canadian actress and singer best known for her portrayal of Donna Hanscum in ''Supernatural''. She released her debut album, ''Begin'', in 2018. Early life Buckmaster was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatc ...

as Security Guard Jules * Phyllis Ramie Groves as Nurse Tammy * Allixandra East as Sandra * Sandy Hammond as Amy

Production

The film was directed by Ryan Curtis who formerly worked on the television series ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

''. Filming took place in Port Coquitlam. The shooting of the finale for the film done before a live audience after three warmup matches by wrestlers from the wrestling promotion ECCW. Theo Francon rehearsed scenes with director Ryan Curtis and the participating audience was credited in the film as extras.

Release and reception

The film had its red carpet premiere on August 31 at the

Rio Theatre The Rio Theatre is an independent, multidisciplinary art house in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Built in 1938, the Rio served East Vancouver primarily as a movie theatre until 2008, when new owner, Corinne Lea, began to add live music and multimedia a ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. The film was nominated for a

Leo Award The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Held each May or June in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Leo Awards were founded by the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British C ...

in the category Best Costume Design in a Short Drama. Ryan Curtis won the

Golden Lion Award The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...

in 2015 at the London Film Awards for Best First-Time Director. The film was followed by a YouTube webseries. It was selected for the 2017 Whatashort Independent International Film Festival.

References

External links

*
The Weirdo Hero
at ECCW.com
Official website
at theweirdohero.com *
Old archive

Premiere of The Weirdo Hero: Dramatizing Depression
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weirdo Hero, The Canadian independent films 2015 drama films 2015 films 2015 independent films 2015 short films Professional wrestling films Films about depression Films with live action and animation Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling Canadian drama short films 2010s English-language films Canadian wrestling films 2010s Canadian films