TIFF - Review of Michael

Review - 4 out of 5 - this is a difficult movie to watch. Your stomach will be tied up in knots and you will be filled with hatred towards the main character. A very disturbing subject matter that will leave you feeling unsettled

Michael is the story of a pedophile. He lives a normal life, with a sister and mother who love him. At night when he comes home you realize he has kidnapped a young boy. They eat dinner together, watch tv together and then Michael has sex with him.

The film does not show the sex scenes with the child for obvious reasons. Everything in implied. The director of the film was very open with the parents and explained everything that he wanted to do before starting the film. Prior to viewing the film at Cannes, the director had the parents watch the film to ensure they were okay with everything. The child was also told what the movie was about and everything was explained to him.

A large part of the movie is in silence with you observing Michael and his interaction with the boy. The viewer is stressed because you don't know if anyone will find the boy.

This is a first time movie for the director. Prior to this he was a casting director. He noted several points in Q&A last night:

• He wrote the script in 5 days
• His inspiration for the topic was based on all of the stories that were in the headlines at the time (2008)
• He did no research for the film. He didn't want a story he read to influence the writing.
• He gave the script to a forensic psychiatrist who works with the courts and has interviewed pedophiles. The feedback she gave him was that his portrayal of the pedophile was accurate. 
• He has no problems getting funding. He passed the movie to the investors and had money for the film the next day
• There was no music for most of the film. The director felt that music is something that tells you how to feel. The thought of putting music to this topic was nauseating to him.
• The subtitles did not include what was on the news. The director felt that the tv was background noise was not relevant to the film and did not want it translated.
• Originally the investors wanted a well known actor in the role of Michael. The director did not want this. He mentioned that people watch the news and look at these people as monsters. He wanted a unknown actor to play the part so that you could identify with the character. It shows that the pedophile is not someone you can identify in the crowd. He is the guy next to you at work. The quiet one that works hard, has a family who loves him, a home, friends and women that are attracted to him. 
• Spoiler alert  - at the end of the film, the intention was that the boy was alive when he is found
• Spoiler alert - Michael burns the card the boy gives him because he is hurt it is impersonal. He wants the boy to like him.

You won't stop talking about this film after you see it. It is disturbing to watch and makes you realize how easily this could happen to your children.