Gillian Stam

A collection of moments as a man attempts to recover from a heartbreak, but finds himself in mental turmoil.

The Over-Scene documents the loss of subculture, and the feelings of disconnection and alienation that result in individuals searching for community and mutual understanding.The film captures some of Toronto's hidden venues, many of which contain remnants of past subcultural activity but are now devoid of life and social collectivity, inhabited instead by a pronounced absence. The subjects-close friends of the artist with shared experiences of the city's waning subcultural landscape-are shown navigating places that no longer resonate with the complexity of contemporary "scenes," emphasizing the relational gaps in 21st-century youth culture. The Over-Scene creates a dialogue between multiple points in history, illustrating the duality of longing for a unified subcultural community-often influenced by commemorations of the past-while simultaneously striving to forge one's own identity and sense of place in today's world.

Overture follows a woman reflecting on a past connection as she searches for that same fleeting sense of closeness in the people and spaces around her. Suspended between memory and the present, she attempts to articulate a feeling that resists definition: the anticipation and unknowing shared between two people on the cusp of acknowledgment. By extending the weight of this moment, the film lingers on the quiet, almost telepathic tension that draws people both closer and farther away from each other.

Filmed on Bolex H-16, Berlin, August 2023

After the death of their father, Wynn returns home to sort through his belongings. In the basement, they uncover an old VHS tape of their favourite childhood program, "Mickey's Musical Big Top." At first a nostalgic curiosity, the tape soon warps into something sinister.