Toronto International Film Festival 2024: SHOOK

At the heart of Shook is Ashish (Saamer Usmani), an aspiring writer with a graduate degree struggling to land his first book deal. Traveling between the suburbs and Toronto’s downtown core, we see Ashish navigate falling in love with a local barista (Amy Forsyth), caring for his stubborn father (Bernard White) newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and coming to terms with the challenges of his new reality. Continuing its recent tradition of showcasing films about one of Toronto’s most treasured suburbs, Scarborough (Scarborough in 2021, Brother in 2022), the 2024 edition of the festival features Amar Wala’s feature film debut in its Discovery section. The film istelf is a bit rough around the edges, but still manages to convey a nuanced story with emotional weight. It’s also the first movie to actually (and accurately) paint Scarborough as a wondrous and resilient community.

Traveling a finite distance with intention

While Shook introduces a flurry of ideas related to the immigrant experience and familial responsibilities, as far as exploring these ideologies, the film doesn’t reach as far as one might expect. Choosing to stay within a self determined lane, Wala ultimately creates a story with intimate boundaries. Much like the subway system bringing Ashish from the suburbs to downtown Toronto, the story and overall scope of Shook also travels a finite distance. Any commentary on the struggles faced by Ashish and his family are in many ways limited to their own collective experiences.

The film isn’t necessarily interested in making inferences about the generational divide between first and second generation immigrants, which is the anchoring through line of the narrative. Instead, Wala chooses to emphasize the experiences of a singular family. This works simply because it highlights the uniqueness of any cultural diaspora, rather than attempting to make grand generalizations (which to be fair, are often still accurate). Some might argue that this narrow scope dampens the film’s overall impact, but it’s also what sets it apart from other films exploring similar subject matter.

Illustrating the beauty of adversity

As someone who was born and raised in Scarborough, I’m far too familiar with the unfair stigma bestowed upon the community. For all intents and purposes, Scarborough is viewed as one of the ‘lesser’ suburbs within Toronto, typically being populated by a less affluent class of citizens (although this really does vary depending on the area). Like many other communities that house marginalized individuals, its depiction in the media is usually far from flattering.

In recent years, however, this unfair association is slowly (and rightfully) being overturned, and Shook looks to be an active player in this rebuttal process. Much like Ashish’s novella, the film strays away from the usual exploitative dives into the hardships of marginalized communities. It documents their struggles, but also celebrates their adversities. In fact, each character’s resiliency to life and its oftentimes unjust circumstances is what defines them in the film.

When it comes to depicting any type of marginalized community, narrative endeavours tend to rely on pain and suffering as a means of representation. While there’s truth in that approach, and Shook certainly doesn’t shy away from it either, the lack of any celebratory stances is often problematic. Wala understands the importance of celebrating a community’s adversity, and demonstrates how cinema can be used to reshape our understanding of one’s culture and identity. All filmmakers should be mindful of this.

Final Thoughts

The way this film is able to shine new light into a community that is typically painted with dark colours, really illustrates the beauty and importance of meaningful representation. Shook does suffer from tying its narrative bow with a bit too much ease, with its premise being one that would’ve likely benefited from a more nuanced ending. Perhaps this was done in order to make the film more accessible. Either way, Wala has crafted a fine story, and impresses in his feature film debut. Those from Scarborough will appreciate its balanced portrayal of the beloved neighbourhood, but there’s something here for everyone.