I, Claudia

Colour, BETA
Canada, 2004, 75 min
Section: Focus on Canadian Films
Oficiální stránky: www.siennafilms.com

Synopsis

The main figures in 12-year-old Claudia’s world are her Grandpa, the school custodian, and above all the temperamental Leslie, daddy’s new girlfriend and soon-to-be bride. Toronto writer and actress Kristen Thomson’s renowned one woman show has been turned into a film and, like on stage, Thomson plays all four characters. Especially noteworthy is her creation of little Claudia’s inner world. The engaging girl makes good use of her charm and playfulness, her agile mind and the childlike naïve wisdom she employs to comment on her parents’ divorce and the behaviour of those around her. Her ideas and fears provoke many a laugh but, in the end, the viewer walks away with a feeling of bitter regret for the wounded soul of a child desperately fighting against her descent into the adult world of uncertainty and disappointment. Them roles’ subtle psychological refinement sharply contrasts with the tense artistic stylization of individual characters’ masks, which tend to steal the show.

About the director

Chris Abraham attended a programme in theatre studies in Toronto before going on to study direction at the National Theatre School in Montreal. Shortly after graduating, he gained his first directing successes at the end of the nineties, and today he is considered one of the most talented people in Canadian theatre. He works with various theatre ensembles and is artistic director of the celebrated Toronto experimental scene Go Chicken Go. He has been awarded a number of prestigious domestic prizes, and has directed Büchner, Handke and Williams, as well as contemporary young playwrights such as Kristen Thomson. He directed her play I, Claudia for the stage and adapted this lyrical tragicomedy as his feature debut.