A Night for Dying Tigers

Director: Terry Miles
Writer: Terry Miles
Cast: Jennifer Beals, Gil Bellows, Lauren Lee Smith, Tygh Runyan, Kathleen Robertson, John Pyper-Ferguson, Leah Gibson
Theatrical Release Date:
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Synopsis: They say home is where the heart is. Festival regular Terry Miles puts that idiom to the test in this acerbic tragicomedy set in an upper-class residence where brothers and sisters meet for an unusual dinner.

Jack (Gil Bellows), the eldest and surrogate patriarch since the death of their parents, is leaving for jail in the morning to serve a five-year sentence for killing a rapist. His wife Melanie (Jennifer Beals), a sophisticated professional photographer, is doing her best to keep up appearances while the other members of this highly dysfunctional pack hide their grief and problems in a clumsy manner. Russell (John Pyper-Ferguson), a well-known writer and English professor, has moved from the loneliness of the blank page to the excitement of the sheets with ex-student and admirer Carly (Leah Gibson). Patrick (Tygh Runyan), the youngest of the three brothers, is an arrogant filmmaker on the rise and unable to let go of his love for his adopted sister Karen (Lauren Lee Smith), the loose cannon of the family. These disparate individuals are no candidates for a happy reunion, as confirmed by the rivalries and resentments that soon surface. And the party is just getting started, with unexpected guests, fights and bitter revelations ahead.

With a dynamic script brought to life by straightforward filmmaking and sophisticated jump-cutting, Miles dissects the hearts and feelings of his characters with candor and nuance. He is a one-man-band behind the camera (producer, writer, director, cinematographer and editor), while in front of it stands a terrific cast of gifted actors, all fully dedicated to their characters and all humble instruments in a pitch-perfect ensemble. Jennifer Beals anchors the narrative’s moral center, becoming the viewer’s guide into this "Long Day’s Journey into Night" for the twenty-first century. [Synopsis courtesy of Martin Bilodeau/Toronto International Film Festival]