Trial by liar

Prodigals a nifty adaptation of stage play

PRODIGALS

••• 1/2outof5

Cast: David Alpay, Sara Canning, Kaniehtiio Horn

Director: Michelle Ouellet Duration: 1h49m

Set in Sault Ste. Marie, Prodigals is the story of a murder trial. But it’s also the tale of a dormant relationship, when Wesley (David Alpay), returns to his hometown after years in Toronto, hoping to rekindle things with ex-girlfriend Jen, played by Sara Canning.

His stated reason for coming back is to help out at the trial, although the fact that he tries to pass himself off as a lawyer when he never passed the bar sets up another potential dramatic flashpoint. As does Jen’s current relationship with another of Wesley’s old pals, and some simmering bad feelings among various others in his old gang of friends.

Vancouver director Michelle Ouellet, working with Sean Minogue’s adaptation of his own stage play, jumps nimbly from one plot thread to another, delivering a fully realized sketch of northern Ontarians and their mixed feelings for the Big Smoke to the south. And Alpay and Canning are fantastic as people so used to telling lies they even manage to fool themselves.