Punch is a Canadian dark comedy film, directed by Guy Bennett and released in 2002.[1]

Punch
Directed byGuy Bennett
Written byGuy Bennett
Produced byStephen Hegyes
StarringMichael Riley
Sonja Bennett
Meredith McGeachie
CinematographyGregory Middleton
Edited byRichard Schwadel
Music byJames Jandrisch
Production
company
Brightlight Pictures
Distributed byThinkFilm
Release date
  • September 10, 2002 (2002-09-10) (TIFF)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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The film stars Michael Riley as Sam Frizzell, a widowed single father in Vancouver, British Columbia whose desire to find a new partner is complicated by his daughter Ariel's (Sonja Bennett) jealousy of any new woman in his life. However, when Ariel physically attacks Sam's newest love interest Mary (Marcia Laskowski), Mary's sister Julie (Meredith McGeachie), a lesbian professional boxer, comes to her sister's defense.[2] The film's cast also includes Vincent Gale, Kathryn Kirkpatrick, Don Ackerman and Sarah Lind.

Production

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Guy Bennett excused himself from the set when they shot the more revealing scene in which his daughter Sonja Bennett is sitting naked on a bed with her legs apart in an attempt to seduce her tutor, and watched from a monitor in another room. But the idea of putting his daughter in this vulnerable position never gave him pause for a moment. "Everything is subservient to the drama," he explained.[3]

Awards

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At the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards 2002, Bennett won for Best Actress in a Canadian Film and McGeachie won for Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film.[4] McGeachie received a Genie Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 24th Genie Awards.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Punch packs humour, takes some risks". Vancouver Sun, February 7, 2003.
  2. ^ "Blow by blow girl saga". Toronto Star, February 7, 2003.
  3. ^ "Family dynamics". www.theglobeandmail.com. 11 February 2003. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Vancouver Film Critics Circle pick best of 2002". Nelson Daily News, January 31, 2003.
  5. ^ "Genie comes out with more pizzazz". Victoria Times-Colonist, May 1, 2004.
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