Never Steady, Never Still
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''Never Steady, Never Still'' is a Canadian drama film, which premiered at the
2017 Toronto International Film Festival The 42nd annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 7 to 17, 2017. There were fourteen programs, with the Vanguard and City to City programs both being retired from previous years, with the total number of films down by ...
. The full-length
directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
of
Kathleen Hepburn Kathleen Hepburn is a Canadian screenwriter and film director. She first attracted acclaim for her film '' Never Steady, Never Still'', which premiered as a short film in 2015 before being expanded into her feature film debut in 2017.
, the film is a family drama which stars
Shirley Henderson Shirley Henderson (born 24 November 1965) is a Scottish actress. Her accolades include two Scottish BAFTAs, a VFCC Award and an Olivier Award, as well as BAFTA, BIFA, London Critics' Circle, Chlotrudis, Gotham, and Canadian Screen Award n ...
as Judy, a woman struggling with the advancing symptoms of
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
while her son Jamie (
Théodore Pellerin Théodore Pellerin (, born June 13, 1997) is a Canadian film and television actor from Quebec. He is most noted for his performance in the 2018 film '' Family First (Chien de garde)'', for which he won the Prix Iris for Revelation of the Year at ...
) is struggling to come to terms with his identity. The film is an expansion of Hepburn's earlier short film of the same title, which starred Tina Hedman as Judy and
Dylan Playfair Dylan Playfair (born June 19, 1992) is a Canadian actor. He is most noted for his starring role as Reilly in ''Letterkenny'' (2016–2023). Early life Playfair comes from a hockey family. Before becoming an actor, Playfair played hockey as a f ...
as Jamie and is partially based on Hepburn's own experiences with her mother's Parkinson's. Hepburn also wrote the screenplay for the film.


Plot

Judy and her husband Ed live with their 18-year-old son Jamie in a remote, isolated community at the edge of
Stuart Lake Stuart Lake, or Nak'albun ("Mount Pope Lake", ) in the Carrier (Dakelh) language is a lake situated in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The town of Fort St. James is situated by the lake near the outlet ( Stuart River or Nak' ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. Judy has suffered from
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
for 19 of the 23 years she and Ed have been married, with Ed acting as her supportive caregiver, helping her to complete basic tasks such as getting dressed and taking her medication. Despite her illness, Judy attempts to lead a normal life by attending a Parkinson's support group each week to help manage her disease. Jamie spends most of his time hanging out with his best friend Danny, smoking and playing hockey. When Danny moves away for college, Jamie finds himself at loose ends, struggling to fully deal with the enormity of his mother's illness, and feeling left behind as Danny's phone calls become more sporadic. Ed convinces Jamie to get a job in the
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
oil fields. Jamie finds it somewhat difficult to fit in with his overly macho co-workers and the testosterone-fuelled environment they create by frequently discussing topics that make him uncomfortable, such as sex and violence, and by relentlessly bullying him. He struggles with his sexuality and briefly fantasizes about kissing Danny. After returning from her support group one day, Judy finds Ed face down in the water, having suffered a fatal heart attack. Jamie returns for the funeral and offers to move back home in order to look after Judy but she refuses, telling him he has to go and live his life. When she asks if he enjoys his job, he lies. Without Ed, Judy begins to find daily life more and more challenging but fiercely battles to remain independent. She often wakes up early in the morning and goes to sit on a boat in the lake where Ed drowned as a way to try to maintain their connection. While shopping in town, the cashier, a pregnant 17-year-old girl named Kaly, tells Judy that the store operates a home delivery service should she require it. Judy is pulled over when driving home because she is driving erratically and the police officer suspects that she is drunk. After explaining that she just needs to take her pills, he advises her that it is probably best she not drive unless she has taken her medications. As winter intensifies, tasks such as chopping firewood become even more difficult, so Judy begins having her groceries delivered. Kaly befriends Judy, who in turn provides her with advice about her impending motherhood. The death of his father causes Jamie to spiral and he uses cocaine after finding some that his supervisor Daryl has dropped. When Daryl chastises him for working too slowly, Jamie lashes out and the two men get into a fight, but Daryl is blamed and their boss tells Jamie that he is free to continue working as long as he passes a drug test. Jamie refuses to take the test and walks off the job. He pays a female prostitute to give him oral sex but he does not enjoy it, and he destroys his car windshield in a fit of rage when it won't start. He returns home where he meets Kaly during one of her deliveries. Judy asks Jamie to pick up her pills and, while in town, he visits Kaly at work and asks her about her baby's father. She explains that he has taken an out-of-town job and she thinks he is scared. Although initially resistant, Jamie persuades her to meet him after her shift. They discuss his mother, and he says that he finds it difficult to see her slowly deteriorate knowing that there is no chance she will get better. He then asks Kaly if she has ever been with another girl before admitting that he is confused and has thought about being with Danny. She kisses him and the two have a sexual encounter in his car. Afterwards, Kaly asks if he enjoyed it and he tells her that he did. Jamie drives home and finds all of the lights turned off. Judy calls to him from the bathroom and he finds her lying in freezing cold water, unable to get out because she has not taken her pills. He carries her to her bed and helps her get dressed before breaking down in tears. He apologizes for not bringing her medication sooner but she tells him not to worry. She then apologizes to him, saying that she should be the one supporting him as opposed to the other way around. They embrace and promise to be there for one another. The next morning, Judy wakes up early and makes her way to the now-frozen lake where she sits down and talks to Ed, wishing him a Merry Christmas.


Cast

*
Shirley Henderson Shirley Henderson (born 24 November 1965) is a Scottish actress. Her accolades include two Scottish BAFTAs, a VFCC Award and an Olivier Award, as well as BAFTA, BIFA, London Critics' Circle, Chlotrudis, Gotham, and Canadian Screen Award n ...
as Judy, a woman in her 50s who is suffering from Parkinson's disease *
Théodore Pellerin Théodore Pellerin (, born June 13, 1997) is a Canadian film and television actor from Quebec. He is most noted for his performance in the 2018 film '' Family First (Chien de garde)'', for which he won the Prix Iris for Revelation of the Year at ...
as Jamie, Judy's rudderless son who is struggling with his identity *
Nicholas Campbell Nicholas Campbell (born 24 March 1952) is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He is a four-time Gemini Awards, Gemini Award winner, a three-time Genie Awards, Genie Award nominee, and a Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Screen Award nominee. He is k ...
as Ed, Judy's husband and carer * Mary Galloway as Kaly, a cashier that befriends Judy and Jamie, acting as a source of comfort to both *
Lorne Cardinal Lorne Cardinal (born 6 January 1964) is a Gemini Award-winning Canadian stage, television and film actor, and stage and TV director. He is best known for portraying Sergeant Davis Quinton on the comedy series ''Corner Gas''. Early life Cardinal ...
as Lenny, Ed and Judy's neighbour and friend * Jonathan Whitesell as Danny, Jamie's best friend *
Jared Abrahamson Jared Abrahamson is a Canadian actor. He is known for his performance in the 2016 film '' Hello Destroyer'', for which he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor and won the award for Best Actor in a Canadian Film at the Vancouve ...
as Daryl, Jamie's co-worker with whom he frequently clashes * Hugo Ateo as Manuel, Daryl's brother and Jamie's co-worker * Sean Owen Roberts as Dave, one of Jamie's co-workers * Beverley Elliott as Sylvia, the woman in charge of running the support group that Judy attends * Sheila Patterson as Nadine, a member of Judy's support group *
Eric Keenleyside Eric Keenleyside (born October 11, 1957) is a Canadian actor. Early life Eric Keenleyside was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, grew up in London, Ontario, and spent time in Brisbane, Australia. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (acting) fro ...
as Don Camdon, Jamie's boss * Kelly Metzger as Margie, a member of Judy's support group * Mel Tuck as Horst, a member of Judy's support group * Chilton Craine as Wanda, the prostitute that Jamie visits * Steven Cree Molison as The Sheriff who pulls Judy over


Reception


Critical reception

On
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website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 79%, based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 6.85/10. On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Shirley Henderson received critical acclaim for her role as Judy, with ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' calling it a "career-best performance" and an "extraordinary, detailed turn". Similarly, ''Screen Daily'' stated that "not only does endersonconvincingly embody the relentless motion of Judy's disease, but also encapsulates the dignified resilience of a life lived with the affliction" before going on to say that her performance is a "tour de force which is, at times, devastating to watch". Henderson was referred to as the "highlight" of the film by reviewers at the
Glasgow Film Festival The Glasgow Film Festival is an annual film festival based in Glasgow, Scotland. The festival began in 2005. By 2015, the festival had seen audience figures top 40,000 for two consecutive years. It is now considered one of the top film festivals ...
, explaining that "she never comes across as a victim of her disease, but rather as a strong individual who manages to cope in spite of her disability".


Awards and accolades

The original short film version of ''Never Steady, Never Still'' won the award for Best Canadian Short Film at the 2015
Inside Out Film and Video Festival The Inside Out Film and Video Festival (formerly, Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival), also known as the Inside Out LGBT or LGBTQ Film Festival, is an annual Canadian film festival, which presents a program of LGBT-related film. Th ...
, and was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual year-end
Canada's Top Ten Canada's Top Ten is an annual honour, compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival to identify and promote the year's best Canadian films."Canada's Top Ten awards will honour excellence in Canadian cinema". ''Welland Tribune'', November 23, ...
list for 2015. At the 2017
Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Festi ...
, the feature film version won three juried awards: * Sea to Sky Award (recognizing exceptional work of a female key creative on a British Columbia-produced feature or short film) * BC Emerging Filmmaker Award * Emerging Canadian Director Hepburn was nominated for the
Directors Guild of Canada The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC; ) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assist ...
's
DGC Discovery Award DGC can refer to: Businesses and organizations * Darlton Gliding Club, Nottinghamshire, England * Daybreak Game Company, an American video game developer * Delhi Golf Club, Delhi, India * Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chronometrie, a German organiz ...
. In December, TIFF named the feature film to its annual
Canada's Top Ten Canada's Top Ten is an annual honour, compiled by the Toronto International Film Festival to identify and promote the year's best Canadian films."Canada's Top Ten awards will honour excellence in Canadian cinema". ''Welland Tribune'', November 23, ...
list. The film was tied with ''
Ava Ava or AVA may refer to: Places Asia and Oceania * Ava Kingdom, in upper Burma from 1364 to 1555 ** Inwa, formerly Ava, the capital of Ava Kingdom ** Earl of Ava, a British colonial earldom in Burma * Ava, Iran, Gilan Province, a village * Iva ...
'' and ''
Hochelaga, Land of Souls ''Hochelaga, Land of Souls'' () is a 2017 Canadian historical drama film directed and written by François Girard and starring Gilles Renaud, Samian and Tanaya Beatty. Dramatizing several centuries of Quebec history and the local history of ...
'' for the most nominations in film categories at the
6th Canadian Screen Awards The 6th annual Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 11, 2018, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2017.
, earning eight nominations: *
Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...
*
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 award ...
(Henderson) *
Best Screenplay This list of screenwriting awards for film is an index to articles on notable awards given for film screenwriting. The list is organized by region and country of the awards venue or sponsor, but winners are not necessarily restricted to people fro ...
(Hepburn) *
Best Cinematography The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best ...
(
Norm Li Norm Li is a Canadian cinematographer.Sabrina Furminger"Norm Li leads audiences ‘Under the Viaduct’" ''YVR Screen Scene'', October 3, 2018. For his work on the film '' The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open'' (2019), Li won the Canadian S ...
) * Best Art Direction/Production Design ( Sophie Jarvis and
Liz Cairns Liz Cairns is a Canada, Canadian film director and production designer from Vancouver, British Columbia. She is most noted as a production designer on the 2017 film ''Never Steady, Never Still'', for which she and Sophie Jarvis received a Canadian S ...
) *
Best Sound The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...
(Matt Drake, Nate Evans and Christopher O'Brien) * Best Editing ( Simone Smith) * Best Original Score (Ben Fox).


See also

*
List of LGBT-related films directed by women This is a list of lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-related films that were directed by women. LGBTQ-themed films directed by women – especially, but not exclusively, lesbian-themed movies – are an important and distinct s ...


References


External links


Official website
* *
Never Steady, Never Still
' at
Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...
{{VFCC Award for Best Canadian Film 2017 films Canadian drama films Films shot in British Columbia Canadian LGBTQ-related films 2010s LGBTQ-related drama films 2017 LGBTQ-related films Films about disability in Canada Films directed by Kathleen Hepburn English-language Canadian films 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films