A father struggles to protect his daughter from the reality of her mother's drug addiction in Tommy Oliver's powerful, semi-autobiographical debut.

Director: Tommy Oliver

USA, 2013, Feature, 1hr30, Rating: 14A

His feature debut.


PROGRAMER'S NOTE
From the earliest days of the crack cocaine epidemic that plagued urban America comes this powerful dispatch, the first feature from writer-director Tommy Oliver. Realized with evocative detail that blurs the distinction between drama and lived experience, 1982 draws on Oliver's upbringing in Philadelphia's West Oak Lane neighbourhood to create a wrenching tale of paternal love and perseverance.

In a measured but blistering performance, Hill Harper plays Tim, a devoted husband to Shenae (Sharon Leal), and proud father of the precocious, ten-year- old Maya (Troi Zee). When Maya observes a widening rift in her parents' relationship, she wonders aloud whether her mother is having an affair. But Shenae has succumbed to a temptation far more pernicious. She soon packs a bag and walks out on her family altogether, only to return periodically in fits of frenzied desperation, scrounging for means to fund her next fix. A devastated Tim, meanwhile, endeavours to shield Maya from the reality of her mother's addiction, and eventually sets out to confront the dangerous local pusher (Wayne Brady) who's been only too happy to prey on his wife's weakness.

If the topic of substance abuse has often provided rich fodder for domestic drama, few films have addressed the suffering of an addict's loved ones as lucidly as this. But Oliver also displays deep reserves of empathy and, in Tim, presents a protagonist possessed of extraordinary dignity and forbearance. 1982 marks the emergence of a compassionate and socially conscious new voice.
Cameron Bailey (TIFF 2013, Toronto)

Director: Tommy Oliver
Country: USA
Year: 2013
Language: English
Runtime: 90 minutes
Rating: 14A

Principal Cast: Wayne Brady, Hill Harper, Sharon Leal, Ruby Dee, Bokeem Woodbine, Troi Zee, Lala Anthony, Quinton Aaron

Screenplay: Tommy Oliver
Cinematographer: Danny Vecchione
Editor: Tommy Oliver, Tovah Leibowitz
Sound: Skywalker Sound, Chris Gridley, Kent Sparling, Scott Lewis
Music: John Jennings Boyd
Prod. Designer: Maggie Ruder
Exec. Producer: John Anderson, Heather Rae, Hill Harper, Paull Cho, Marcea Lloyd
Producer: Tommy Oliver
Production Co.: Confluential Films, Black Squirrel Films
U.S. Sales Agent: Preferred Content


2013 | 38th Toronto International Film Festival | TORONTO, Canada | September 5 to 15, 2013.
* Selection: Festival - Discovery
* World Premiere
* Screening: Sunday September 8 / Isabel Bader Theatre / 9:15 PM
* Screening: Monday September 9 / Scotiabank 7 / 6:30 PM
* Screening: Saturday September 14 / Scotiabank 13 / 3:30 PM
http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/festival/2013/1982

Summary for official catalogues