Ryan McNeil
My ticket wallet feels a whole lot thinner, and the pile of ticket stubs on my desk is growing by the minute. Must mean we’re coming up on the end of this crazy ten days. It’s this stretch of the festival that things get a little unpredictable. In recent years, TIFF has become a very front-end-loaded schedule, so sometimes when you get down to these last few days you can be reduced to some very cold leftovers. Other times, the last lap gives you some unexpectedly good films – like WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU.
The movie is the life story of actor/writer/director Brian Goodman. Goodman wasn’t always an actor, in fact he grew up as a junkie thug in South Boston. He ran small time scores with his best friend until his luck eventually ran out and he was sent to jail. When he couldn’t find much honest work he turned to acting, but never one to forget where he came from, Goodman turned his life story into a screenplay. Now that screenplay about the two best friends Paulie (Ethan Hawke)and Brian (Mark Ruffalo) has made the jump to the big screen.
WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU could have very easily began with the words “Bless me father, for I have sinned…”, since it is very much a confessional moment by a person deeply looking for redemption. It speaks volumes about the difficulty of picking up the pieces, and trying to move forward down a better path for the benefit of those you love.
The movie has lingered waiting to be released for quite some time, and it’s my belief that it truly deserves its moment in the sun. Brian Goodman has offered it up as a penance for his sins, and a very heartfelt penance it is.
WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU plays twice more at TIFF 08, and does not yet have wide release information. I recommend it.