Only

I just got back from a screening of 'Only' and I must say, I was mightily impressed.

This quiet little film deserves all the accolades and praise bestowed upon it. For starters, the film's two young stars Jacob Switzer and Elena Hudgins Lyle come across so naturally that it's hard to believe the film was scripted - the story literally jumps from the faces and voices of it's 12 and 13 year old stars.

Kudos to all, especially for the two first-time writers/directors (long-time Canadian actors Ingrid Veninger and Simon Reynolds) who pulled off a deceptively simple little gem.

Another feather in the cap for Canadian film.

Just saw Only for the second time and I am was just as moved as the first time I saw it.

The two leads, Elena and Jacob are totally believable as regular kids. At a time when children are becoming very self-conscious they provide raw performance that expose all sorts of embarrassing things to each other and the audience. The beauty of the story is found in the grace and ease that each character comes to accept the other for whom they are.

This beauty is supported by the wonderful cinematography that provides a magical landscape that children explore.

It is hard to imagine that many films will ever do as good a job of telling a story about this stage in childhood as Only does. It is just too hard to capture the actors between childhood and puberty. And it is equal has hard to avoid all the commercial clichés about how children should behave in film.

There is nothing in the movie to offend but the viewer must be prepared, like the children in the film to relax and just let things happen. The rewards for doing so are worth it.

The film moves slowly, leaving the audience to wonder. Rich, beautiful, tender and distinctly Canadian.

Had the pleasure of watching the film at the Okanagan International Film Festival, walking out of the theatre I began a conversation with a man who did not speak English very well. He said he had never seen movies like the ones being shown (The Baby Formula, Only) that night. He continued to try to find a way to explain how he felt towards these Independent Canadian films, saying they could not be easily categorized. "Ultra-realism" was what he said finally, asking me if these words made sense. I assured him that they did and for Only, it was a perfect description.

Lovely film, great to see life as a lonely kid in rural Ontario portrayed so accurately and beautifully. It reminded me of what it was like to be a kid trapped in the place where your parents put you, desperately searching for things that capture your interest, and finding only buzzing power lines, railway tracks and abandoned tennis courts.

The dialogue was simple and natural, as were the performances. The relationship between the two leads builds slowly and naturally. The audience at the screening I was at was made up of both adults and, and both groups seemed to enjoy it equally, which is not an easy thing to pull off. Hope to see more from everyone involved.

Great movie, I like the cinematic techniques used.. the movie was in a slower pace in the beginning, to me it symbolizes a budding friendship... the movie gets more lively towards the end, to me it also reflected the closer friendship of the 2 kids and getting acquainted to each other. Also, the way they use the ipod..in the beginning they are each in their own world, in the middle, they sometimes get out of their own little "music" world and interact with each other..at the end, they listen to each others' music.. to me it symbolizes they get into and became part of the other person's life.. it is so good about independent film. it leaves room for people's imagination.. I love the movie. Great soundtrack too! Great work Ingrid and Simon! I enjoyed the Q&A section at the end of the movie too! :)