THE HEIRLOOM is nothing less than compelling and generating considerable hoopla with film review mavens. A variety of publicity, marketing, advertising blurbs and write-ups describe it as a rom-com psychodrama, that is, according to one definition, a film genre blending lighthearted, comedic, elements of a romantic comedy with deeper, more dramatic exploration of psychological themes and interpersonal dynamics, often delving into the complexities of relationships and personal struggles.
Grace Glowicki who plays Allie.
WORD patrons, visitors, guests, et. al, should know that this reviewer found it confoundingly surreal, cosmic, existential and at times made this reviewer feel he might be undergoing a cinematic experience unlike any in recent memory.THE HEIRLOOM is 87-minutes of sublime storytelling is and in succinct summary, is about Eric, a control-freak filmmaker played by Ben Petrie, who succumbs to the importunings of his live-in significant other, Allie, about them getting a dog. {Spoiler Alert Apology (SAA): She really wants to have kids and Eric is oblivious about her significant wants and desires.}
Allie is played by Grace Glowicki.
The couple eventually adopt Milly, a traumatized a rescue dog whippet from the Dominican Republic. {SAA: Every member of the Eric-Allie-(Milly) family is carrying a lot of heavy baggage.} The more you see it, the more you may want to re-see it – that leading to more edification that can help you tap into the deep meanings percolating below the surface of things showing up on screen. And the more you understand, the more you may feel as if you are on the path to understanding the cosmos and the meaning of life … and so on … and so forth.
Ben Petrie who plays Eric, a control-freak filmmaker,
Some Other Takes
– The film follows a neurotic couple whose relationship is brought to the edge by the arrival of a traumatized rescue dog. Surprising, raw, and devotedly funny, The Heirloom draws from Petrie and Glowicki’s real-life relationship to produce a hilarious and intimate chamber piece about a couple teetering on the brink between calamity and commitment. – Factory 25
– Eager to master the dog-training process, Eric enforces an ideology that emphasizes inner strength and his role as leader of the pack. But the renewed sense of meaning that this paternal role brings Eric is thrown into chaos when he is seized by inspiration that spills recklessly across his art and his life, taking Allie and Milly along with him. Meanwhile, Allie’s nostalgia for memories lost to childhood sets loose the wrath of long-suppressed intuitions, and the creeping dawn of a deeper calling in her life. Part romcom, part rescue-dog story, part family scrapbook, and always devotedly funny, The Heirloom is a deeply intimate and personal chamber-piece about a long-term couple struggling desperately to become a family. – ???
– “Indie filmmaking at its very best. Razor sharp and thoroughly entertaining.” – Chris Richmond, This is for Reel.
– “Both a sweetly affecting dog movie and a surprising metafictional relationship comedy.” – Scott Macaulay, Filmmaker Magazine.
– “The Heirloom has a steady stream of wit and tension with a style that elevates the film’s playful psychodrama.” – Rory O’Connor, The Film Stage
– “Never misses a comic beat. It’s hilarious.” – Jane Darcy, The Reviews Hub
Film companies involved in the production, distribution, marketing: Cheekdance Productions, AKA Cheekdance Spectacular, Cedar Films and Factory 25, Brooklyn-based, says it’s home to conceptually provocative narratives and documentaries.
Cast: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie
Writer: Ben Petrie
Producer: Ben Petrie, Justin Elchakieh, Grace Glowicki
Director of Photography: Kelly Jeffrey
Editor: Ben Petrie, Brendan Mills, Michael Harmon
Music: Casey MQ {Film music is dazzaling}
The Skinnie
Ben Petrie is a Canadian filmmaker and actor. His film Her Friend Adam won a Sundance Short Film Special Jury Award for Outstanding Performance for Grace Glowicki and was named Best Comedy of the Year by Vimeo. That same year, he was featured in Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” Petrie’s recent acting credits include Blackberry (Dir. Matt Johnson; Berlinale and SXSW 2023); The All Golden (Dir. Nate Wilson; Fantastic Fest 2023); August 22, This Year (Dir. Graham Foy; Cannes Semaine de la Critique 2020) and Tito (Dir. Grace Glowicki; SXSW 2019). THE HEIRLOOM is Petrie’s feature-length directorial debut.
Grace Glowicki is known for her compelling, physical performances — and her knack for comedic expressionism. In 2016, Glowicki was awarded a Sundance Special Jury Award for Outstanding Performance for her role in Petrie’s Her Friend Adam. Later that year, Glowicki was named a TIFF Rising Star by the Toronto International Film Festival.
Also a filmmaker, Glowicki’s directorial debut Tito premiered at SXSW in 2019. The New Yorker lauded the film, stating “the movie, too, is a tour de force of performance, in Glowicki’s astounding display of choreographic expressionism.” The film subsequently won the Independence Award at the Oldenburg Film Festival, the Inspiration Award at the B3 Biennale of the Moving Image, and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award. Since then, Glowicki has starred in films that have premiered at Sundance, SXSW, TIFF, and Tribeca. Her other credits include Raf, Strawberry Mansion, and Until Banches Bend. She lives with her partner and frequent collaborator Ben Petrie in Toronto.
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WORD Editor, Reviewer Gregg W. Morris