Final Rating: 4/5
It’s easy to relate and to understand immediately what the title of Brian Daniel Johnson’s debut film A Welcome Distraction could mean. Who hasn’t had troubles at work, a fight with a partner, a loss of someone and other instances where patience and understanding may be at a premium. Whether it is a night out with friends, a vacation or just a tall glass of wine, we all need some sort of a distraction from the pains in our lives.
We meet Ernest Prinze (Simon Farrell) at just about his lowest point. He is being confronted with shop lifting at a corner store. Ernest claims he was just looking at products by the door, but in reality he forgot he had items in his pockets and completely walked out without paying. He visits his friendly drug dealer and buys Adderall, not for partying or studying, but because he is so disconnected from the world that this is a desperate attempt just to focus on life. He is choosing to self medicate, much to the drug dealer’s chagrin.
Ernest’s sister shows up unannounced outside of his home, we learn that his father died some months ago and he is no longer talking to his sister or mother. She gifts him with a free round trip flight to visit his mom for her birthday later in the year, in an attempt that hopefully brings them back together.
He also has just broken up with his girlfriend and is spiraling out of control. If anyone needs a welcome distraction, it is certainly Ernest. While on a hike up on Lighthouse Park, where he intends to scratch out a carving on a tree of his and his ex’s initials, he meets Mallory (Madison Isolina) who immediately takes interest in him. She compliments his eyes and tries to make him feel at ease since he is clearly troubled.
Mallory invites Ernest to a party and this is where things in the movie start to get strange. Up until this point, the film has been a fairly simple story of a young man dealing with a multitude of troubles in his life. He isn’t interested in being with friends, has no plan to reconnect with his family and is aimless. When he arrives at the party, everyone there seems to know who he is as they are expecting him. Despite not knowing anyone there, he repeatedly asks where Mallory is with the other guests continually making excuses about why she isn’t present yet as they manage to keep him around.
It takes a while, but slowly we learn about these people. They belong to a club where the women are so in tune with nature, they get messages from the earth where the male members help catalog and analyze their findings that get published in a newsletter. Except this group seems to act quite a bit like a cult. Ernest must give up his cellphone and his whole life now revolves around the group and their work. Not to mention the very authoritative leader Roman (Adriana Marchand) who demands full control over everyone’s lives.
The film shifts back and forth between Ernest struggling to cry out for help in a very personal drama and a thriller where you aren’t totally sure what the group that he has gotten involved with actually does.
The cinematography is contemplative, featuring slow zooms on static shots, making the viewer feel claustrophobic as the walls are closing in on Ernest and his life. Dating Mallory and being involved with her group sure is a distraction to all of his problems, but the question remains for how long will this distraction hold up? Where, if at any point, will Ernest hit his breaking point and finally be able to process his grief?
Simon Farrell shines as Ernest, a guy you just want to give a hug to and tell him everything will be alright. That he can miss his dad and be mad at his family still. That just throwing your whole self into a new relationship, isn’t always the best thing. Farrell is naturalistic and brings effortless comedy and pain to the performance. His scenes with his drug dealer friend Nolan (Liam McCulley), are some of the funniest bits in the whole film.
The movie ends on a sobering moment, with the release we all need after going on this up and down roller coaster. It also does a great job of highlighting what it is like to live in downtown Vancouver, balancing city life with being connected to nature. The tonal shifts and methodical pacing, isn’t going to work for everyone, but feels similar to another indie film with a unique metaphysical twist on it in Topology of Sirens.
A Welcome Distraction as seen during the 2025 Vancouver International Film Festival.
