The Maiden (film)

The Maiden is a 2022 Canadian drama film, written and directed by Graham Foy.[1] The film stars Marcel T. Jiménez as Colton, a teenager coping with his grief after the death of his friend Kyle (Jackson Sluiter) in an accident, and Hayley Ness as Whitney, a classmate of theirs whose journal Colton finds in the ravine where Kyle died.[2]

The Maiden
Directed byGraham Foy
Written byGraham Foy
Produced byDaiva Žalnieriunas
Dan Montgomery
StarringJackson Sluiter
Marcel T Jiménez
Hayley Ness
CinematographyKelly Jeffrey
Edited byBrendan Mills
Production
companies
F F Films
MDFF
Release date
  • September 1, 2022 (2022-09-01) (Venice)
Running time
117 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The film was included in the Next Step incubator program for emerging filmmakers at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival,[3] and in the First Cut+ program at the 2022 Karlovy Vary Film Festival.[4] At Karlovy Vary, it won the €5,000 First Cut+ TRT Award.[5]

It had its world premiere in the Giornate degli Autori program at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival, on September 1, 2022,[6] and its North American premiere in the Contemporary World Cinema lineup at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.[7]

Critical response

Andrew Parker of TheGATE.ca praised the film, writing that "The Maiden belongs to a long Canadian tradition of cinematic tales revolving around young people growing up, forming close bonds, and together learning about the sometimes shocking nature of the world they’re going to inherit as adults. But Foy’s take on such a well sown field looks at such narratives from a refreshingly microcosmic perspective. While major events forever alters the lives of these characters, The Maiden finds more beauty in the small details that lie before and beyond. Foy displays an acute understanding that sometimes the greatest meaning and emotional resonance comes from memories others might find fleeting."[2]

For Exclaim!, Rachel Ho wrote that "Foy manages to push the film toward the supernatural without becoming a ghost story — just as he was able to push the film towards a coming-of-age story without actually existing on that plane. Throughout the film, he engages in this tightrope balancing act and somehow never falls off. His storytelling evokes Apichatpong Weerasethakul's ambiguous and grounded surrealist nature, while his filmmaking has a Malickian quality. Combined together, Foy's ambitious and bold debut becomes a dream-like rumination on youth, loss and friendship that is familiar and singular at the same time."[8]

Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail praised the film, writing that it "initially plays out like an episode of Jackass trapped in the dreamy haze of a Terrence Malick film", and concluding that "confident and inventive, ambitious and controlled, Foy’s film balances all its elements with such a sense of purpose that it’s all a little intimidating, up to and including the wonderful performances from first-time actors Jimenez, Sluiter and Ness. (There is also a fun little cameo from a cat who may be the best feline onscreen this year, Puss in Boots aside.) I can only hope, then, that The Maiden’s many microbudget wonders make as much of an impression on curious, adventurous audiences as the mark that Colton and Kyle leave on that aforementioned bridge. Tag your friends, and let’s make Graham Foy a household name."[9]

Awards

At Venice, the film won the Cinema of the Future award.[10]

The film was nominated for the John Dunning Best First Feature Award at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards in 2023.[11]

References
  1. Jonathan Romney, "‘The Maiden’: Venice Review". Screen Daily, September 6, 2022.
  2. Andrew Parker, "The Maiden Review | Fantastic Voyage". TheGATE.ca, May 10, 2023.
  3. Melanie Goodfellow, "Celluloid Dreams to launch Jafar Panahi’s new film ‘No Bears’ at Cannes". Screen Daily, May 11, 2022.
  4. Leo Barraclough, "Karlovy Vary Film Festival Unveils 35 Projects in Industry Section Eastern Promises". Variety, June 13, 2022.
  5. Vassilis Economou, "Graham Foy’s The Maiden wins the First Cut+ Award at Karlovy Vary". Cineuropa, July 6, 2022.
  6. Melanie Goodfellow, "Abel Ferrara, Shia LaBeouf And Steve Buscemi Head To Venice Sidebar Giornate Degli Autori; San Sebastian Unveils Contenders For New Directors Award – Global Briefs". Deadline Hollywood, July 28, 2022.
  7. Pat Mullen, "TIFF Announces Canadian Films for 2022 Festival". That Shelf, August 10, 2022.
  8. Rachel Ho, "'The Maiden' Is a Dream-Like Voyage Toward Loss and Grief". Exclaim!, May 10, 2023.
  9. Barry Hertz, "Dreamy Canadian drama The Maiden is a haunting work that announces the arrival of a major talent: Canadian director Graham Foy’s startling feature debut The Maiden should make him a household name". The Globe and Mail, May 5, 2023.
  10. Ellie Calnan, "‘Blue Jean’, ‘The Maiden’ among Giornate degli Autori winners at Venice". Screen Daily, September 9, 2022.
  11. Charles-Henri Ramond, "Écrans canadiens – Viking,13 nominations". Films du Québec, February 22, 2023.
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