Nurse.Fighter.Boy

Nurse.Fighter.Boy is a Canadian drama film, directed by Charles Officer and released in 2008.[1] The film stars Karen LeBlanc as Jude, a widowed single mother undergoing treatment for sickle cell disease. While working as a night-shift nurse to support her son Ciel (Daniel J. Gordon), she meets and enters into a relationship with Silence (Clark Johnson), a troubled and brooding boxer who becomes a father figure for the young boy.[2]

Nurse.Fighter.Boy
Directed byCharles Officer
Produced byIngrid Veninger
Written byCharles Officer
Ingrid Veninger
StarringClark Johnson
Karen LeBlanc
Daniel J. Gordon
Music byJohn Welsman
CinematographySteve Cosens
Edited byJames Blokland
Production
company
Canadian Film Centre
Eleven Thirteen
pUNK FILMS
Canesugar Filmworks
Distributed byMongrel Media
Release date
  • 8 September 2008 (2008-09-08) (TIFF)
Running time
93 mins
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The film's cast also includes Walter Borden, Araya Mengesha, Elizabeth Saunders and Ndidi Onukwulu.

The film premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival,[1] and screened at several other film festivals before going into commercial release in February 2009.[3] It was released on DVD in June 2009, with bonus features including a documentary on the making of the film and Officer's short films Short Hymn, Silent War and Urda/Bone.[4]

Critical response

Barry Hertz of the National Post gave it a mixed review, calling it a mediocre film lifted by excellent acting. He ultimately concluded that "despite the film's obvious shortcomings, it's still a hard picture to dismiss. When Johnson isn't busy making an impact on screen, it's easy to marvel at the gorgeous cinematography, which captures Toronto in an entirely unique light. Dank back alleys and sterile hospital wings may not seem like typically appealing locations to film, but Officer has a genuine gift for creating beautiful images in otherwise grim urban settings."[3]

Writing for the Sun Media chain, Bruce Kirkland praised the film as "beautifully crafted cinema; it explores the Jamaican-Canadian experience with a sublime tenderness; and it has a universal appeal as a film about how the human spirit copes with adversity.[4]

Awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Atlantic Film Festival 2008 Best Actress Karen LeBlanc Won [5]
Whistler Film Festival 2008 Best Actor Clark Johnson Won [6]
Vancouver Film Critics Circle 2009 Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film Daniel J. Gordon Nominated [7]
Genie Awards April 12, 2010 Best Picture Ingrid Veninger Nominated [8]
Best Director Charles Officer Nominated
Best Actor Clark Johnson Nominated
Best Actress Karen LeBlanc Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Charles Officer, Ingrid Veninger Nominated
Best Art Direction/Production Design Diana Abbatangelo Nominated
Best Cinematography Steve Cosens Nominated
Best Costume Design Sarah Armstrong Nominated
Best Sound Editing Garrett Kerr, Fred Brennan, Paul Germann, Steve Hammond, Mishann Lau Nominated
Best Original Song John Welsman, Cherie Camp ("Oh Love") Won [9]

References
  1. "Canadian flicks". The Globe and Mail, September 5, 2008.
  2. John Griffin, "Clark Johnson brings his quiet support for a poetic love story". Montreal Gazette, October 18, 2008.
  3. Barry Hertz, "One can, in fact, be both a lover and a fighter". National Post, February 6, 2009.
  4. Bruce Kirkland, "Nurse. Fighter. Boy. Gem.". Ottawa Sun, June 12, 2009.
  5. "Quebec tale of 10-year-old boy wins prizes at Atlantic film fest". Canadian Press, September 19, 2008.
  6. Marke Andrews, "Whistler Film Festival winners, 2008". Vancouver Sun, December 8, 2008.
  7. Craig Takeuchi, "Vancouver Film Critics Circle: Up in the Air, J'ai tué ma mí¨re lead nominations". The Georgia Straight, January 4, 2010.
  8. Cassandra Szklarski, "Denis Villeneuve's 'Polytechnique' lands leading 11 Genie nominations". Canadian Press, March 1, 2010.
  9. Cassandra Szklarski, "'Polytechnique' sweeps Genies". Canadian Press, April 14, 2010.
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