Hello Destroyer, new hockey film

[Freddy]

This last week I saw the film Hello Destroyer at Vancouvers independent/international film theatre. I believe it was first shown at TIFF this last fall.



Google it (Imbd, Rotten Tomatoes) for a better review/description than I can offer.

This is NOT your typical hockey movie, no comedy, no underdog rally triumphs. This movie is slow, canadiana arty, and effective in exposing some hypocracies or idiosyncrasies of hockey culture that values aggressive behaviour but condones violence when it crosses lines (intentional or not). I'm 39 and played hockey throughout childhood in Calgary and remember the hormone fuelled teen years when aggressive violent behaviour is hard to reign in. Even now, playing competitive beer league an aggressive style is unfortunately effective and only kept in check by maturity and ethical desire to not injure my opponents. But s### happens, all the time, and in this film it's an 18 year old kid who gets singled out and struggles with the isolation of being shunned by the sport/culture he has worked so hard to be a part of.

I thought about putting this thread in the Fire on Ice forum because with Tkachuk's elbow on Doughty and suspension it follows a similar narrative. We as fans love his "edge", but as soon as he crossed that grey line some people immediately judge him as dirty and will carry that label forever. But is this an impossible tightrope to walk for hormone fuelled teenagers to get it right 100% of the time or face eternal damnation?

Sorry for the long winded post. I would recommend any fan of hockey watch Hello Destroyer if they are ready to delve into the intellectual and emotional deep water of hockey culture in Canada.

[ASP#26525]

Thanks for sharing, I'll definitely check it out.

Originally Posted by Freddy

But is this an impossible tightrope to walk for hormone fuelled teenagers to get it right 100% of the time or face eternal damnation?

It seems that our society expects this when it comes to nearly everything these days...... Just look at last night's Game Thread

[worth]

I saw it last year CIFF I think. It was way too long.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by worth

I saw it last year CIFF I think. It was way too long.

I'm curious what you mean by this. You mean it is just too long for the content and needed to be edited down? Or did you see a 3 hour cut or something? Because when I saw this thread and looked up the movie, the run time is only 110 minutes.

[Freddy]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I'm curious what you mean by this. You mean it is just too long for the content and needed to be edited down? Or did you see a 3 hour cut or something? Because when I saw this thread and looked up the movie, the run time is only 110 minutes.

I'm pretty sure the film is 1 hr 50 min; the first ~40 min of which is hockey intensive and then ~1 hr 10 min is the fallout for the main character after his 'incident' on the ice. My girlfriend also felt the movie was way too long and could have been edited, but taken as a complete work and the gut check it gave me I'd overlook its slow nature. Slow, deliberate, dramatic. Not mainstream Hollywood.