''Defy Gravity'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Michael Gibson and released in 1990. The film stars R. H. Thomson as Bill Fiddich, an inventor with

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

who is physically abusive to his wife Mary (

Chapelle Jaffe Chapelle Jaffe is a Canadian film, television and stage actress. She is most noted for winning the Canadian Film Award for Best Actress in a Non-Feature at the 29th Canadian Film Awards in 1978 for the television film '' One Night Stand'',Maria T ...

) and daughter Debbie (Karen Saunders); Simon Reynolds as Patrick, his teenage son who is spared the physical abuse but is struggling to understand how to stand up to his father to protect the rest of the family; and

Tracey Moore Tracey Moore (born January 17, 1960) is a Canadian voice actress and voice director. She is most noted as the voice of Princess Toadstool in the ''Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'', ''Super Mario World'', and the singing voice of Strawberry ...

as Miss McInnis, Patrick's high school history teacher who tries to provide the emotional guidance Patrick isn't getting at home. The film's cast also includes

Louis Ferreira Louis Ferreira (born Luís Ferreira; born 20 February 1966) is a Canadian actor. Ferreira is known for his roles in ''Stargate Universe'' as Colonel Everett Young, serial killer Ray Prager in the first season of '' Durham County'', FBI Assistant ...

, London Juno, Damir Andrei and

Earl Pastko Earl Pastko is an American actor known for his roles in theatre, film and television. Early life Pastko was born and raised in Chicago and moved to Canada in 1985. He currently resides in Toronto. Career Pastko is a founding member of Chicago' ...

. The film's working title was ''Resistance''. The film premiered at the 1990 Festival of Festivals."Film festival turns focus on Canada". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', August 1, 1990. Moore received a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the

13th Genie Awards The 13th annual Genie Awards were held on November 22, 1992, and honoured Canadian films released in late 1991 and 1992. They were dominated by the Canadian/British/Japanese co-production ''Naked Lunch''. The ceremony was held at the Metro Toronto ...

in 1992."The Genie nominees". ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

'', October 14, 1992.

References

External links

* 1990 films 1990 drama films Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films {{1990s-Canada-film-stub