Borealis is a 2015 drama about an unemployed gambler who tries to outrun his problems and appease his guilt as a bad father by taking his estranged teenage daughter, Aurora, on a road trip to Churchill, Man. to show her the northern lights before her vision disorder renders her completely blind.
Directed by Sean Garrity, the film stars Joey King as Aurora, and Jonas Chernick as Jonah Finn, a problem gambler and deadbeat dad.
The film begins with a seedy back-room poker game overseen by a character named Tubby Finkleman, who reluctantly grants Finn $100,000 in credit, which he promptly loses.
Enraged, Finkleman takes Finn’s family dog as collateral and warns him that if he doesn’t pay up first thing in the morning, he and his daughter, Aurora, are going to get hurt.
Finn attempts to rectify the problem and asks his girlfriend for a loan, only to be dumped and ridiculed for his web of lies and poor parenting.
Oblivious to the danger she’s in, Aurora undergoes an eye exam at the Winnipeg Optometry Centre. Her doctor delivers the prognosis to Finn in private: she’s going blind.
Shocked by the news, he is unable to tell his daughter and instead urges her to come on a road trip with him.
Along the way, with Finkleman in hot pursuit, Finn and Aurora confront their tragic pasts and their individual issues in unanticipated and often comical ways.
When Finn finally reveals the truth to Aurora about her failing vision, she shares a profound all-night encounter with a mysterious small town hipster—an experience that changes her forever.
To find out if the duo ever makes it to Churchill to see the northern lights, you can catch the flick at the Chaba Theatre on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.
The Jasper Film Club will continue playing films the first Thursday of every month until April. All shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for non-members and $8 for members.
Paul Clarke [email protected]
