Film review: Ashgrove is a smart, science-driven drama

Do you like smart, low-budget science-driven movies? Then you should like Canadian writer/director Jeremy LaLonde. He’s made two of them.

The first, James vs. His Future Self, was a science-fiction rom-com (already a rare bird) that had the misfortune to open during the early days of the pandemic. Perhaps trying to get ahead of the curve with this one, Ashgrove is set during the early days of the next pandemic, one I dearly hope doesn’t come to pass.

Amanda Brugel stars as Jennifer, a scientist on the forefront of research into a tainted-water crisis that threatens the future of humanity. She’s on the verge of a breakthrough when she experiences a kind of blackout, coupled with memory loss. Her colleagues tell her to take a few days off to recuperate.

Reluctantly, she agrees to a weekend in the country with her husband, Jason, played by Jonas Chernick, also in James vs… They’re joined partway through the trip by Amanda’s coworker Elliot (Shawn Doyle) and his wife, Sammy (Natalie Brown). But it’s during this visit that Amanda and Jason get into a quarrel, laced with recriminations and jealousy, not to mention the stress of, you know, the possible end of the human race. The stakes are indeed high.

LaLonde, who co-wrote the screenplay with his two lead actors, manages the tension and pacing superbly. And the relationships, both marital and collegial, feel deeply, sometimes even painfully real. It soon becomes clear that someone is hiding something – a whispered, hurried phone call by Jason raises Jennifer’s suspicions – but the nature and scale of the secrets become clear only gradually, both to Jennifer and the audience

Ashgrove is a smart, character-driven drama whose science-fiction underpinnings feel natural rather than contrived. After all, in the near future, when this story is set, about the only thing we can be sure of is that human nature will remain the same.

Ashgrove opens Dec 2 at the Scotiabank cinema in Toronto, and Dec. 9 at the Apollo in Kitchener, with other locations to follow.

4 stars out of 5

1. We ask the stars: What would the movie about your life during the pandemic be called?

2. Chris Knight's review of James vs. His Future Self

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