TORONTO — In the spring of 1988, when writer and filmmaker David Bezmozgis was a teen, a student at his Toronto high school drowned in Lake Ontario after taking LSD at a Pink Floyd concert in the city.
Bezmozgis says he drew upon that tragedy eight years ago when he started penning the screenplay for his new coming-of-age film Victoria Day.
In the film — Bezmozgis’s feature-length directorial debut — high-school student Jordan Chapman is presumed drowned after taking drugs at a Bob Dylan show at Ontario Place in 1988.
In the film, Ben, played by Mark Randasll, has played with Jordan on a AAA hockey team and loaned him $5 so he could buy drugs.
As Victoria Day approaches and the Stanley Cup playoffs unfold, Ben is torn over whether he should tell police that he saw Jordan and gave him the cash. He also grapples with feelings for Jordan’s sister, played by Holly Deveaux.