She Talks to Strangers is a psychological thriller set in and shot in Vancouver Canada.
You can also read the Hollywood North review by Shaun Lang.
We subsequently had a chance to sit down with director Bruce Sweeney at the Whistler Film Festival (WFF).
HNMAG: You were at UBC in the late 80s. There were a lot of people who were in the film program that went on to have great careers. Reg Harkema, Mina Shun, Lynne Stopkewitch, Greg Middleton, Steve Hedges, Simon Barry, John Poser…What was it that led to the overall success?
Bruce Sweeney: I think it was human capital. We all worked on this movie, The Grocer’s Wife. We all formed a tight bond. A real spirit of making movies. UBC wasn’t pushing you to make a feature. It wasn’t a sanctioned project. It was the collective spirit of the whole group. It was the personalities and everyone getting along, and sharing ideas. I just wanted to learn but The Grocer’s Wife, gave me the goal of making a movie.
HNMAG: What movie came from that?
Bruce Sweeney: Four years later, I made Live Bait.
HNMAG: Did that go to the (Toronto International Film Festival) TIFF?
Bruce Sweeney: Yeah, it went to TIFF and we won the big award.
HNMAG: In your new film you worked with Ali Froggatt and Jeff Gladstone. They run Tightrope Theatre which focuses on comedy improvisation. How much of the film was improvised?
Bruce Sweeney: We had a bulletproof script. There were little bits that were improv in nature but in terms of the beats and the script, I’m pretty buttoned down about that. We did whatever it takes to make it work.
HNMAG: Before viewing, I was expecting it to be a comedy because of their involvement. I was surprised to find out that it’s more of a serious movie. How did you meet Ali and Jeff?
Bruce Sweeney: I was giving a master’s class through the Union of BC Performers (UBCP) in 2015 and Jeff was one of the participants. I could see he was a good actor and we just hit it off.
HNMAG: It would be great if UBCP could offer a workshop for content creators to make a movie through the UBCP Ultra Low Budget (ULB) under the $40,000 designation.
Bruce Sweeney: That’s what this is.
HNMAG: She Talks To Strangers was under 40? It doesn’t look like it.
Bruce Sweeney: Thank you. I appreciate that. It was a big team effort. We shot on a Sony Venice but got it for dirt, which was nice. We had a very small, tight crew where everyone had multiple jobs.
HNMAG: We have a lot of good movies in Canada, but how do people get to see them?
Bruce Sweeney: They don’t! We just finished the movie, this is the first screening here at Whistler.
HNMAG: It’s not fair for me to say, because I know Jeff so I don’t get intimidated by his character.
Bruce Sweeney: I get that, he’s a sweetheart.
HNMAG: It’s kind of like being well known for a famous part and then not being able to break away.
Bruce Sweeney: If you are an actor on an iconic show, like Tony Soprano, you’re done for other types of roles.
HNMAG: When did you start this project?
Bruce Sweeney: We shot for fifteen days and then two months later a couple of pick-up days. Before the pandemic, I was all ready to go with a different project. I started in 2022 to write She Talks to Strangers.
HNMAG: How did the financing come through?
Bruce Sweeney: We got the Canadian Audio Video Certification Office (CAVCO) which means that you can tax credit the movie.
HNMAG: Your movie was set in Vancouver. Is it easier to show how beautiful the city is than trying to hide it by making it someone else?
Bruce Sweeney: Yeah, hello! I’m unashamedly pro films shot in Vancouver, set in Vancouver.
HNMAG: Was it difficult working with a dog?
Bruce Sweeney: The dog was a one-take wonder. It was a freakishly smart dog. You put something down as a mark and the dog goes right to the mark.
HNMAG: Did the dog work on deferral?
Bruce Sweeney: (laughs) Full deferral, yes for the dog.
HNMAG: Are you looking for a distributor at the festival?
Bruce Sweeney: The festival director said that we should be able to get a distribution deal for sure.
Jeff Gladstone stopped by and sat down with us for a few minutes.
HNMAG: Jeff, you met Bruce in a UBCP master class. How many participants were there?
Jeff Gladstone: Fifteen? We did some scenes.
Bruce Sweeney: It was kind of an improv-based thing. Because the actors formed a group of three and then would present it.
HNMAG: What was your favorite moment of the performance?
Jeff Gladstone: Working with a talented group of actors. Being able to play and explore in the scenes. Bruce works with such talented performers.
She Talks to Strangers is a dark and realistic drama set in Vancouver. The real beauty of the backdrop works in nice contrast to the stark reality of the story. You also have to admire all the performances, even the dog. We should learn the lesson from this long summer of little work due to work stoppages with American unions. The Canadian Film Industry needs to make and exhibit its movies. There are terrific Canadian films out there. We don’t control the theatres but we can let them know what we want. Let’s talk to some strangers at Cineplex and demand some CanCon!