''Seductio'' is a 1987 Canadian film written, produced, and directed by

Bashar Shbib Bashar Shbib (born June 25, 1959) is a Canadian independent film director and producer. He started making independent films in Montreal the 1980s and became one of the most prolific independent filmmakers in Canada with over 30 films to his credit ...

. The film stars

Attila Bertalan Attila Bertalan is a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He is most noted for his 1990 film '' A Bullet in the Head'', which was selected as Canada's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1991."Bullet in the Head chosen for ...

and Kathy Horner as Mikael and Melanie, a couple who are lost in the woods when their vehicle breaks down while travelling; Melanie is consumed by a fear of being attacked by

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

s, while Mikael tries to stoke her fears as a psychological game. Jay Scott, "A Kid Brother who's special". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', August 31, 1987.

Distribution

The film premiered in the Panorama Canada stream at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 29, 1987. It later faced some controversy when the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma initially refused to screen the film in its original form at its 1988 festival; Chbib attempted to blockade the venue in protest. When the film screened at the

1987 Toronto International Film Festival The 12th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 10 and September 19, 1987. ''I've Heard the Mermaids Singing'' by Patricia Rozema was selected as the opening film. ''The Princess Bride' ...

, Chbib also stripped in public to protest the lack of funding available to independent filmmakers.

Critical response

The film was poorly received by critics. Jay Scott of ''

'' opined that the film had been programmed by TIFF solely "to remind viewers how bad Canadian movies once were", and concluded that "you can escape the theatre, but you can't collect on the debt Seductio owes you for wasted time". John Harkness of '' Now'' wrote that publicist Daphna Kastner deserved an award for having to promote the film, and felt personally compelled to ask festival programmer

Kay Armatage Kay Armatage (born 1943) is a Canadian filmmaker, former programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival and Professor emerita at the University of Toronto's Cinema Studies Institute and Women & Gender Studies Institute. Though she attained ...

why the festival even programmed Chbib's films at all.John Harkness, "Cinematic slim pickings dim 1987 festival fervour". '' Now'', September 24, 1987.

References

External links

* {{Bashar Shbib 1987 films English-language Canadian films 1987 comedy-drama films Films directed by Bashar Shbib Canadian comedy-drama films 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films