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The Tracey Fragments Extras: 77 minute movie The Tracey Fragments: Behind the Scenes Theatrical Trailer The Single Frame (still photos) Tracey: Re-Fragmented (re-edit competition finalists) Director: Bruce McDonald Producer: Sarah Timmins Executive Producer: Paul Barkin Writer: Maureen Medved (novel & screenplay) Editors: Jeremiah Munce & Gareth C. Scales Starring: Ellen Page, Max McCabe-Lokos, Slim Twig, Julian Richings Ari Cohen, Erin McMurtry, Zie Souwand. Tracey Berkowitz is your average teenager, acting in ways that may mystify the average adult. Ellen Page plays Tracey in a way that may also be called, Tracey Demystified. The movie is like no other you may see, but then how often do you see inside the mind of the average teen? If you expect the kind of movie that starts at point A and takes you to points B and C using dialogue and action with a bit of subtext thrown in to spice the journey, perish the thought. This movie is called The Tracey Fragments and it uses as many as thirteen views and frequent voice-over to express the workings of the mind of a teen girl. The scenes and pictures ebb and flow. This is a movie you must relax, open your mind and let it in. Otherwise, the movie will pass by and you will forever wonder what it is about. Some of the situations Tracey finds herself in, that we share her perception of, are - a family that includes an under-employed father, a chain-smoking mother that has retreated from life into TV, and a brother, Sonny, who thinks he is a dog and communicates by barking, - a school life that includes being outside of the school social scene and ridiculed by most of the school, - a love life that consists of fantasy about Billy Zero (Slim Twig), the new kid at school, who eventually has a tryst with Tracey in the park, followed by his immediate rejection, - a disappearance of Sonny during the tryst above, - the meeting of Lance, from Toronto, (Max McCabe-Lokos), who saves her from exposure in an alley after he promises to help her find Sonny, of whom we feel he has no knowledge of at all. - A psychiatrist who is calm and patient to Tracey’s outbreaks of emotions. The Tracey Fragments was created by a group of talented cast and crew, who came together to make a movie unlike any other movie. The creativity is displayed from the writing through the filming to the editing. The soundtrack captures the mood on the screen and compliments it. On many movies, there is one spark who ignites to bring an exceptional movie together. On The Tracey Fragments, it starts with Bruce McDonald, the director. His vision fired the production. Then the contribution of Sarah Timmins, the producer, comes to mind. How could she feel safe, when there was only 14 days to film a movie that was unlike any previously made? And without the script and novel, both by Maureen Medved, what would they film? Ellen Page is one of the few people in the age group who could express the range of emotions of a fifteen year old girl in these situations. But without the contribution of many other fine actors, the final result would be more like a student film than a theatrical production. And no credit is complete without the camera department and the crew that supports them, the art department, the special effects and stunt cast, casting, and the rest of the production department. These people all put their stamp on this movie and are part of the flame that created it. This movie is the result of a lot of heart and not a lot of money. Everyone on this production deserves credit and compliments. About the DVD: Often a low budget film has little left over for the extras on the DVD. In this case, there is a good “Making of….” Video with Bruce McDonald, Sarah Timmins and Ellen Page. After watching the movie for the first time, it will help put the creativity into context, and make the second viewing more enlightened. The still pictures are interesting while the trailer is expected. It does not have a full length commentary track, which would be a challenge as the movie itself is the commentary. After the release of the movie, the raw footage and music was made available to download from the Internet. Participants were encouraged to edit it in any form they felt suitable, and submit the results, by uploading to one of the social sites. Many people did, and the best of the results are included on this DVD. While they are good, few could be considered as equal to the editing of the movie. This is a DVD that everyone should rent or buy. It is a production that may be the most original and creative in this decade. You may not like it, but you should appreciate it as the best of unique movies and something that is truly Canadian. Buy it now and support our local talent, not because they are Canadian, but because they will represent us well on the world stage, as Ellen Page has already shown. |