By: Trevor Chartrand

Based on a play of the same name, Thom Fitzgerald’s Splinters would have been better off staying on stage.  While a perfectly fine motion picture, the film is essentially an adequate and frankly mediocre entry into this year’s TIFF line-up.

The film follows a grieving family in small-town Nova Scotia.  After the death of her father, bisexual Belle (Sofia Banzhaf) returns home for the first time in years, where she is persecuted and judged for her sexuality.

While visually engaging, Splinters’ meandering, directionless pace is detrimental to the narrative.  The cast is quite grounded and real with the exception of Callum Dunphy, who plays city-boy Rob with an over-the-top aloofness that, once again, would be more effective on the theatrical stage.

In every way, Splinters is a competent, well-made, watchable film – but it’s also easily forgettable.

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Splinters screens at TIFF on:

Tuesday, September 11 at 7:15 p.m. @ TIFF Bell Lightbox
Wednesday, September 12 at 10:00 p.m. @ Scotiabank Theatre
Thursday, September 13 at 9:00 a.m. @ Scotiabank Theatre (press and industry)
Saturday, September 15 at 6:30 p.m. @ Scotiabank Theatre

Rating: 18A
Language: English
Runtime: 94 minutes

For more information on the festival, visit the official TIFF webpage here.

Buy tickets here.

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