McDonald’s triumphant return to the indie road flick

Weirdos Where: Vic Theatre When: Today and Sunday, 4 p.m.; Saturday, 7 p.m. Rating: Four stars (out of five)

What’s not to love about Bruce McDonald’s return to a genre he is a master of — the indie road movie with a Canadian flavour and endearingly peculiar characters?

Reuniting with screenwriter Daniel MacIvor, with whom he collaborated on Victoria Film Festival 2010 hit Trigger, McDonald has crafted a dependably quirky and ironic, if slight, comedy-drama, shot in gorgeous black-and-white by Becky Parsons. Weirdos chronicles the journey of Kit and Alice, two Novia Scotia teenagers who hitchhike from Antigonish to Sydney during the summer of 1976 while the American Bicentennial is being celebrated stateside.

Boomers in particular should get a real kick out of its authentic period costumes, furnishings, pop-culture references (pay close attention) and flashbacks, including a score rife with nostalgia-inducing rock gems. The film’s Maritime beauty is offset by a veritable Canuck K-Tel collection highlighted by hits by Edward Bear, The Stampeders and Gordon Lightfoot, with some Harry Nilsson thrown in to conjure up a Midnight Cowboy vibe. What stands out most, however, are the naturalistic performances, particularly from Julia Sarah Stone, a fresh and compelling new talent with retro flair, and Molly Parker, who infuses what appears to be an over-the-top portrayal of Kit’s eccentric, hopelessly dysfunctional mother with unexpected poignancy. What the film could have done without was what might have sounded good on paper but misfires on screen — a recurring spirit guide in the form of Andy Warhol.

The film is being presented as part of Vic Theatre’s Best of the Fest, a showcase of this year’s Victoria Film Festival highlights.