Thie 2022 Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival came and went this year, remaining a completely virtual experience for attendees to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. Ahead of the festival, we caught a screening of Katie Boland’s film, We’re All In This Together.
Actress, writer, director, and producer Katie Boland puts all four titles to work to bring together this captivating dark comedy-drama focusing on trauma, mental illness, and raw realities many families face but barely speak on. We’re All In This Together follows the Parker family. When their mother, Kate Parker (Martha Burns), unexpectedly risks her life by throwing herself over a waterfall inside a wooden barrel, this gets captured on video, which goes viral. This moment brings all of Kate’s kids together, pushing them to face their traumas head-on.
So, what’s this all about?
Boland stars as twin sisters, Finn and Nicki, with two significantly different lifestyles. On the one hand, you have Finn, who managed to move away from their small town, except she continues to be traumatized by the betrayal of her sister, Nicki, and her then-boyfriend, Gord (Adam Butcher), who have a child together. Meanwhile, Nicki remains in their childhood town, frustrated with the trajectory of her life thus far.
Throughout the film, we watch Nicki and Finn grapple with the fact they’re both in each other’s lives again, causing them to face the past they were trying to run away from in the first place. As Finn accepts the betrayal she experienced, Nicki matures into a role she never took herself seriously in. Boland does an incredible job keeping the sisters so distinct; it’s hard to remember that she is portraying both roles.
And the verdict is…
We’re All In This Together pulls back the covers and gives a small glimpse at a complex family dynamic. Every family member had their demon to overcome, and while it wasn’t the perfect path to take, they managed to lean on one another to heal and grow unexpectedly. Most, if not all the time, you can’t always push your demons away, nor can you face them alone. Although a few storylines seemed irrelevant to the overall outcome, Boland managed to sync them together by the end of the movie, which eventually showed how each family member needs one another more than they knew.
The film leaves you questioning what is it you’re willing to hide in the past and no longer confront? Are you content with keeping your trauma that thing you’ll never talk about? If so, at what cost?
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