Good Neighbours
Encyclopedia
Good Neighbors is a 2010 Canadian black comedy-drama/thriller film which was written and directed by Jacob Tierney
. It is based on the book by Chrystine Brouillet
.
Her wheelchair-bound downstairs neighbor Spencer (Scott Speedman) shares her predilection up to a point. But he mostly likes to keep to himself. Then a new tenant moves in, an elementary school teacher Victor (Jay Baruchel), recently returned to the city from a sojourn in China.
Victor eagerly wants to make friends with the other two. Louise and Spencer reluctantly do so but remain wary of the newcomer. To their way of thinking, he is only a tad more agreeable than the crazy, drunken, foul-mouthed tenant (Anne-Marie Cadieux), who hates Louise’s cats.
As the trio’s relationships develops, it is soon clear each is a troubled character. Louise’s life is oriented more to her felines, Mozart and Tia Maria, than to humans.
Victor is almost a benign stalker, a little creepy in his keenness to ingratiate himself to the other tenants, especially Louise on whom he clearly has a crush and soon develops an imaginary love life. Oh, yes, he talks to his mirror too, which in certain movies is always a bad sign.Outwardly Spencer seemsthe best adjusted of the trio despite his handicap. But there is something about his false smile that you instantly distrust. Maybe Spencer is a little too easy-going.These three live above one another on three separate floors and the walls are paper-thin. In other words, it’s hard to keep secrets in this apartment complex although its manager, Mme Gauthier (Micheline Lanctôt), will find herself completely in the dark when a murder takes place in the building itself.
, Scott Speedman
and Emily Hampshire
. Tierney filmed it under the working title "Notre Dame de Grâce" in and around Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
on 15 September 2010. Magnolia Pictures
released it for the Whistler Film Festival.
Jacob Tierney
Jacob Daniel Tierney is a Canadian actor, film director and screenwriter.Tierney was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of veteran producer Kevin Tierney...
. It is based on the book by Chrystine Brouillet
Chrystine Brouillet
Chrystine Brouillet, CM is a Canadian novelist.Born in Loretteville, Quebec, she was educated at Collège Notre-Dame-de-Bellevue, the Séminaire de Québec, and the Université Laval....
.
Plot
Louise (Emily Hampshire), who works as a waitress in a nearby Chinese restaurant, has become obsessed with the story, scouring Montreal newspapers for any and all stories about each victim. The latest one is a co-worker who last spoke of a blond, musuclar man she meet at the bar and have a drink with after she go off work at midnight.Her wheelchair-bound downstairs neighbor Spencer (Scott Speedman) shares her predilection up to a point. But he mostly likes to keep to himself. Then a new tenant moves in, an elementary school teacher Victor (Jay Baruchel), recently returned to the city from a sojourn in China.
Victor eagerly wants to make friends with the other two. Louise and Spencer reluctantly do so but remain wary of the newcomer. To their way of thinking, he is only a tad more agreeable than the crazy, drunken, foul-mouthed tenant (Anne-Marie Cadieux), who hates Louise’s cats.
As the trio’s relationships develops, it is soon clear each is a troubled character. Louise’s life is oriented more to her felines, Mozart and Tia Maria, than to humans.
Victor is almost a benign stalker, a little creepy in his keenness to ingratiate himself to the other tenants, especially Louise on whom he clearly has a crush and soon develops an imaginary love life. Oh, yes, he talks to his mirror too, which in certain movies is always a bad sign.Outwardly Spencer seemsthe best adjusted of the trio despite his handicap. But there is something about his false smile that you instantly distrust. Maybe Spencer is a little too easy-going.These three live above one another on three separate floors and the walls are paper-thin. In other words, it’s hard to keep secrets in this apartment complex although its manager, Mme Gauthier (Micheline Lanctôt), will find herself completely in the dark when a murder takes place in the building itself.
Cast
- Emily HampshireEmily HampshireEmily Hampshire is a Canadian film and television actress.She is most widely known to international audiences for her role as Angelina to Sean Astin's Michael in the 1998 romantic comedy Boy Meets Girl, and Vivienne in the 2006 film Snow Cake, in which she starred opposite Sigourney Weaver and...
as Louise - Jay BaruchelJay BaruchelJonathan Adam Saunders "Jay" Baruchel is a Canadian actor. He has had a successful career in comedy films, and has appeared in supporting roles in such box office successes as Million Dollar Baby, Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder, as well as starring in films like She's Out of My League, The Trotsky,...
as Victor - Scott SpeedmanScott SpeedmanScott Speedman is a British-born Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for playing Ben Covington in the coming-of-age drama television series Felicity and Lycan-Vampire hybrid Michael Corvin in the gothic horror/action Underworld films.-Early life:Speedman was born Robert Scott...
as Spencer - Xavier DolanXavier DolanXavier Dolan , sometimes credited as Xavier Dolan-Tadros, is a Québécois actor and filmmaker, the son of Geneviève Dolan, a teacher, and Manuel Tadros, a Quebecois actor and singer of Egyptian descent...
as Jean-Marc - Gary FarmerGary Farmer- History :Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario into the Cayuga nation and Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy. Farmer attended Syracuse University and Ryerson Polytechnic University, where he studied photography and film production....
as Brandt - Kaniehtiio HornKaniehtiio HornKaniehtiio Horn is a Mohawk actress. She was nominated for a Gemini Award for her role in the television film Moccasin Flats: Redemption...
as Johanne - Anne-Marie CadieuxAnne-Marie CadieuxAnne-Marie Cadieux is a Canadian actress, film director and screenwriter. She has won a Jutra Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Le Coeur au Poing and in 2008 was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Toi .- External links :...
- Micheline LanctôtMicheline LanctôtMicheline Lanctôt is an actress, film director, screenwriter, and musician.-Biography:Lanctôt's post-secondary education was in music, fine arts and theatre at Collège Jésus-Marie in Outremont, and in art history before switching to film animation, which she...
as the landlady - Pat Kiely as Bilodeau
- Nathalie Girard as Nightclub Waitress
- Sean Lu as Mr. Chou
Production
It stars Jay BaruchelJay Baruchel
Jonathan Adam Saunders "Jay" Baruchel is a Canadian actor. He has had a successful career in comedy films, and has appeared in supporting roles in such box office successes as Million Dollar Baby, Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder, as well as starring in films like She's Out of My League, The Trotsky,...
, Scott Speedman
Scott Speedman
Scott Speedman is a British-born Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for playing Ben Covington in the coming-of-age drama television series Felicity and Lycan-Vampire hybrid Michael Corvin in the gothic horror/action Underworld films.-Early life:Speedman was born Robert Scott...
and Emily Hampshire
Emily Hampshire
Emily Hampshire is a Canadian film and television actress.She is most widely known to international audiences for her role as Angelina to Sean Astin's Michael in the 1998 romantic comedy Boy Meets Girl, and Vivienne in the 2006 film Snow Cake, in which she starred opposite Sigourney Weaver and...
. Tierney filmed it under the working title "Notre Dame de Grâce" in and around Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Release
The film had its world premiere as part of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival2010 Toronto International Film Festival
The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented Score: A Hockey Musical, a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. Last Night closed the festival on September 19.2010 TIFF included...
on 15 September 2010. Magnolia Pictures
Magnolia Pictures
Magnolia Pictures is an American film distributor, and is a holding of 2929 Entertainment, owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban. Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in both foreign and independent films....
released it for the Whistler Film Festival.