It was not until after his latest feature length film, Kenneyville, was complete that Ottawa director Brooks Hunter realized just how symbolic the film is of his battle with mental illness.
Filmed an hour and a half north of Ottawa in North Field, the picture boasts an all Canadian crew and cast with Brooks Hunter, 27, as director, co-writer and co-producer. Kenneyville made its Ottawa debut at the Mayfair Theatre late last month.
The psychological horror follows private investigators, Patrick (Dany Gehshan) and Megan (Vanessa Broze) as they search for a missing Toronto woman in the fictitious, Ontario town, Kenneyville. The couple soon realizes that while on the surface Kenneyville appears to be a quaint small town, locals harbor some dark secrets.
Hunter says the origins of the story line were not always clear to him and that for the most part he had considered Kenneyville to be a "Hitchcock type thriller." After the film was complete Hunter says he noticed a theme emerging – suggesting that our perceptions are often at odds with reality.
“I am bi-polar and I’ve been through darker times in the past. I wasn’t intending to hit those themes but it did actually come out a lot in the story,” says Hunter.
When Hunter was in high school he was hospitalized at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario for schizoaffective disorder. Hunter experienced symptoms of psychosis for about six months.
The film draws on a time, “when I felt that doctors weren’t on my side and that medication was being forced upon me,” says Hunter.
Hunter is currently working on a documentary called The Lens, which deals with the topic of mental illness.
Hunter says Kenneyville was created for entertainment and while he wants to address the issue of mental illness and help those currently battling a disorder, he is also a filmmaker for the sake of the craft and entertainment value of his work.
Dany Gehshan, who plays Patrick in the film, says he had originally viewed the movie as a metaphor for relationships. Gehshan says his character learns a lot about humility throughout the film and that, "you can’t overcome things that are bigger than you alone."
Lee Demarbre, of the Mayfair Theatre, says he was happy to show the film. Being a local director himself, Demarbre says that when his own films would show at the ByTowne Cinema he felt at home.
“I like to provide a space for local filmmakers to feel like they have somewhere to show their films,” says Demarbre.
Kenneyville has recently been picked up for distribution by a Los Angeles agent.
A Canadian cottage country atmosphere is captured well by the films local location.
“It’s great having a Canadiana look that will be distributed worldwide and having a little bit of that culture,” says Hunter. But this does not necessarily mean sticking to the ordinary.
Kenneyville is an intense horror film.
“I feel like Canada needs more outside of the box, high story line content and I feel good about contributing to the industry in that way,” says Hunter.