Coming of age tale Hold Fast chronicles the journey of two boys,
Newfoundland coming-of-age drama Hold Fast is an often-poignant, smartly scripted journey, ably carried on the slim shoulders of a pair of young newcomers who appear poised for bigger things.
Based on Kevin Major’s1978 Governor General’s Award-winning novel of the same name and well guided by director Justin Simms, Hold Fast is a lyrically tender, low-key and often amusing work that puts a pair of unhappy 14-year-olds on the road and lets them determine their own fates, if only temporarily.
It’s fresh off a successful film festival tour and while it deserves an audience, it may not be able to find it with limited release on one screen this weekend.
At age 14, Michael (Avery Ash) comes from a small fishing village where he lives a simple life. When his parents are killed in a car crash, he’s thrust into an unfamiliar “townie” existence in suburbia with his well- meaning aunt Ellen ( House of Cards’ Molly Parker) and her bullying husband, Ted (Aiden Flynn of Republic of Doyle).
Their son, shy Curtis (Douglas Sullivan), a kid given to hiding his head in his sketchbook, reluctantly agrees to share his bedroom with his cousin Michael, whose thick regional accent and easygoing ways make him a source of ridicule at his new school.
Michael is no pushover. He takes on his chief tormentor, the class bully, leading to an argument at home with his Uncle Ted who blames the boy’s late father for his lack of respect. That’s all it takes to make Michael decide to set out on a grand adventure. And Curtis is welcome to come along on the quest.
Newfoundland’s scenic roads, forests and rugged coastlines form the backdrop — gorgeously lensed by cinematographer Catherine Lutes, who recently impressed with Canadian indie Algonquin. Mark Bragg’s music adds a pleasing atmosphere that echoes time spent in Newfoundland bars, kitchen parties and around campfires.
The boys charm their way, hitching rides and hiding out. Michael, seeming older than his years, is a confident, smooth talker who manages to be endearing despite his swagger, thanks to his willingness to let his weaknesses surface.
Coming from resourceful, fishermen stock, he can teach Curtis a thing or two about survival. And when their roles are reversed, it feels completely right, as it does when the two engage in the kind of exuberant horseplay that reminds us they are just kids after all. As much a story of friendship as it is dealing with loss of family and leaving boyhood behind, Hold Fast pulls us in effortlessly to tag along as Michael and Curtis learn to navigate life for themselves. That investment in characters and their stories is what’s missing in Small Time, another coming-of-age tale opening Friday. California used-car dealer Al Klein (Christopher Meloni of Law & Order: SVU) isn’t happy when his 17-yearold son Freddy (Toronto’s Devon Bostick, breaking away from his Diary of a Wimpy Kidrole) announces he wants to join his old man selling cars instead of going to college. Al’s ex-wife Barbara (Bridget Moynahan), a brittle alcoholic who is paying for poor choices, reacts even more strongly. She’s dead set against Freddy going to work in a used car lot instead of pursuing an education. Al’s brash best friend and business partner Ash Martini (Dean Norris in similar mode to his previous role as Hank on Breaking Bad), sees potential in the kid and is enthusiastic about training Freddy in the art of the non-quite-legit sales pitch. That Freddy takes to it so easily concerns Al, but not enough for him to put a stop to his new career.
A directing debut for TV writer Joel Surnow ( 24: Live Another Day, The Kennedys) who also penned the script, Small Time plays out in plodding fashion that seems engineered to keep the audience at arms’ length.
Bostick does a credible turn as a youthful smartass-in-training, but there’s a big chunk missing thanks to the largely one-dimensional characters. With so little effort expended towards understanding who they are, we never feel that there’s a reason to care about their struggles.