90 minutes – Coming-of-age
Festival Release date: September 13, 2015 (TIFF)
Release date: July 15, 2016
Canadian distributor: Elevation Pictures

Oscar Madly is an imaginative “only-child” in St. John, Newfoundland, whose closest friend is a pet hamster named Buffy. If his life wasn’t challenging enough being caught in the middle of his parents’ turbulent divorce, Oscar is viciously catapulted into adulthood when his father teaches him about a shocking hate-crime involving a young gay man. Fearing that he too might be gay, Oscar is driven to suppress his femininity. But when Oscar comes of age, his resistance to his sexuality weakens as he forms a tenuous friendship with a tattooed co-worker from Montreal who opens his eyes to a whole world of new possibilities. However, as Oscar begins to reclaim his identity, he experiences confusing sexual fantasies about his new friend that are fueled by fear. When Oscar finally confronts and triumphs against the fear instilled by his father, the result is an explosive spectacle of human empowerment unlike anything Oscar could have ever expected.

Teaser and poster courtesy of Elevation Pictures