The award-winning, period thriller The Ties That Bind, set in Central Alberta's Delburne, promises plenty of hairpin turns by the time the credits roll.
The feature film recently won Best Director Scripted Over 30 Minutes at the Alberta Film & Television Awards, and captured the People's Choice Award for Best Feature Narrative at the Central Alberta Film Festival.
Set in the Depression, family loyalty among three brothers is tested, with one of them an MLA elected to the Alberta Social Credit Party.
History shows the Socreds, led by William Aberhart in the 1930s, proposed to give every Albertan $25 a month in an effort to kick start the economy, but the plan proved impossible.
In The Ties That Bind, one of the brothers is blackmailed, also with unfortunate consequences.
Director and producer James Reckseidler said the characters, although they seem like nice people, make some really bad choices which will make the audience uncomfortable at times and not sure what to expect next.
"It twists and turns on you, and then at the end it's like the roller coaster finishes and you're glad you took the ride. It was worth it," Reckseidler said.
The audience is put through the wringer, but that's what makes it so exciting, he said based on all the positive feedback on the film.
"That's a really great response to have as an artist. That's what we want. We want our audiences to feel things. We want people to be emotionally invested, whatever the result is for them, and walk away and be glad they experienced it."
He said throwing in some of Alberta's history was "nerdy" but Alberta's Social Credit government was the only provincial government to try something different to pull its province out of the Depression.
"Alberta tried to solve a problem. It didn't work. Aberhart's government could not produce $25 a month for the program, but the idea that Alberta was progressive at that time, and was trying to address something, is really part of history that we don't talk about."
Today's economic climate is not as dire as in the 1930s, but audience members may also relate to the uncertainty, he added.
Reckseidler said a period feature, even with his film's million-dollar budget, was ambitious. But the result was a film that can compete with anything on streaming services or in the theatre. The Alberta ensemble cast and all-Albertan crew, shooting exclusively in Alberta, including six days in Delburne, is a testament to the talent and potential right here in the province.
The cast includes Lonni Olson, Ryan Northcott, Christopher Duthie, Rae Farrer and Hannah Duke.
Reckseidler, who was raised in Delburne and recently moved back, said Albertans feel fortunate to attract big film productions from elsewhere, but there's a lot of home-grown talent and independent film makers right here who should be acknowledged.
"Why would we shy away from the stories and the talent we have here? Why wouldn't we want to send that out in the world, and show the world what were capable of."
Central Albertans can catch The Ties That Bind at Carnival Cinemas, from Dec. 6 to 13. To watch the official trailer visit reckseidlerfilms.com.
