The Zero Sum

I recently had the fortune to see this film at Winnipeg' NSI FilmExchange and left the theatre dazed, thoughtful and eager to see more.

"The Zero Sum" is simply one of the best Canadian films I've ever seen. Ewen Bremner delivers such a powerful, economical performance that paints the dilemma of a man trying to change his essential nature and find redemption for a life spent poorly. Sarah Strange is by turns vulnerable and luminous. She turns in such a powerful performance of a woman afraid of the world around her. I was fascinated by her relationship with the man who (unknowningly) brought her to such a state.

One hell of a story. I can't wait to see the next one.

Leonard Paulson (Ewen Bremner) is lifelong compulsive thief. His brother Patrick (David Richmond-Peck) gets 7 years in prison when Leonard uses his car and leaves stolen mail in the back. They need $25k to get a good lawyer for the appeal. Leah Herzog (Sarah Strange) is being harassed by her ex Robert. Leonard snatches her purse and she suffers a panic attack. She is falling apart, drinking, and even has a night with the obsessive Robert. Leonard starts stalking and then befriends Leah. Meanwhile Leonard's friend Chris (Tyler Labine) has a plan to rob the restaurant workplace.

The movie doesn't look that well made by director Raphael Assaf. I do love Ewen Bremner and he shows that he's capable of being a great lead in a movie. I think he could do well to be the leading man more and not always relying on the quirky sidekick character. He has a charisma that is still evident when he's not acting outrageously. That's true with his normal voice. I like to see if he could be the lead in a mainstream romance.

I recently saw this film at it's world premiere at the Whistler Film Festival and found it absolutely brilliant. An excellent script, great acting and visually entertaining. The film itself gets away with being gritty without looking cheap, which is a rare thing in film these days. This is definitely not the sort of film that comes to mind when you think of traditional Canadian cinema, but it also doesn't feel like a run of the mill Hollywood film either. The best of both worlds come together, without too much melodrama or cheezy, over the top, action sequences. The director is able to make the audience feel compassion for even the anti-hero of the story, by showing human qualities that all people have, but are often neglected in the film world. All in all, great film and worth checking out.

This was better than I was expecting, carried for the most part by Scottish actor Ewen Bremner who is fantastic, even if it was weird to hear him with a North American accent. Its a low budget (Canadian) film and looks it, but despite some dubious acting from others, the script is excellent, the story powerful and by the end I was thinking why isn't this movie better known? For the most part its a character study, following two brothers who have grown up rough. 'Leonard' (Bremner) started stealing out of necessity to provide for his brother after "they had to leave home for a while" but grew to love it. I would say even be addicted to it.

As the movie opens 'Patrick' (David Richmond-Peck) is writing a book, a biography about his life which is soon interrupted after Leonard leaves some stolen loot in the trunk of his car which gets him arrested.

The remainder of the movie involves Leonard and his life of crime, now with a purpose as he has to raise money to get Patrick out of jail. He is planning a big heist from the restaurant he works at and mugging a lot of people. Somehow he makes a connection with one of his victims (Sarah Strange) and I'm not sure that he feels guilty exactly but we get to see what that encounter did to her, the psychological damage. He falls in love with 'Leah', who is an editor and before long is passing off his brothers book as his own. Claiming the thief in the story is actually Patrick.

A very clever story although I felt that the ending could have been expanded, its just a flash of what happened and for the most part leaves it up to the viewer to decide. 5/19/15

I had the pleasure of getting to see this movie at its world premiere in Whistler and found it to be a great movie to represent Canadian films. While being an Independent Canadian Feature,it has a much larger feel and look. Raphael was more than successful in getting great performances out of his actors and crew. The actors were fantastic, and so well suited to their roles. The movie itself was realistic and emotional with believable twists and turns. I think that this movie is a sign of things to come for Canadian film as more film makers see that just because you're not making a movie with a lot of money, doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice quality. I don't know the budget of this movie, but as Canadian films go they usually don't have a lot and the result is just. This movie shows that passion and determination make good films, not money. I wish only good things for "The Zero Sum" and the director Raphael Assaf as I believe that everyone should have a chance to see this film and more from him.