…a film with a lot to say and even more to think about…
- SHIVERS, Vince D’Amato (May 5, 2014)
Stress Position
A psychological experiment between two friends spirals out of control.
Director
A.J. Bond
Format
Sony F-35 & Canon 5D
Length
79 min.
Copyright
The Siblings
External Links
Official Selection - Highlights
TORONTO THEATRICAL PREMIERE – Opens April 18, 2014 at the Carlton Cinema
VANCOUVER THEATRICAL PREMIERE – May 23, 28, 30 and June 6, 2014 at the Vancity Theatre
VICTORIA THEATRICAL PREMIERE – August 12 at Cinecenta
WINNIPEG THEATRICAL PREMIERE – August 13 at Winipeg Cinematheque
CALGARY THEATRICAL PREMIERE – August 14 at The Globe Theatre
Festival History
London, UK premiere: Special Festival Preview at Sci Fi London at the BFI Southbank, 2013
Portland, OR premiere: Northwest Tracking Series at the Portland Art Museum, 2013
Los Angeles, CA premiere: Cine Gear Expo Film Competition at the Paramount Studios Backlot (1 of 3 finalists in competition), 2013
Cyprus International Film Festival 2013, Cypress
Lady Filmmakers Film Festival 2013, Beverly Hills, CA, USA
Oaxaca Film Festival 2013, Oaxaca, Mexico *Global Features Competition
Arizona Underground Film Festival 2013, Arizona, USA
Las Vegas Film Festival 2013, Nevada, USA
Awards
★ Won Best Cinematography at the 2013 Las Vegas Film Festival
★ One of 3 finalists for the Cine Gear Expo Film Competition at Paramount Studios, LA (May 2013)
★ Nominated for 7 Leo Awards, including Best Motion Picture, Direction, Cinematography, Sound, Score and Lead Performance for David Amito
★ Won Best Supporting Actor for David Amito at the 2013 Las Vegas Film Festival
★ Won Best Experimental Film at the 2013 Lady Filmmakers Film Festival LA
★ Won Best Supporting Actor for A.J. Bond at the 2013 Lady Filmmakers Film Festival LA
★ Nominated for Best Editing at the 2013 Canadian Cinema Editors Awards
Quotes
An accomplished, chilling collision between fact and fiction, this Canadian psycho-drama follows in the footsteps of other mutually assured torture films … but with a freshness and relevance to reality television post-Guantanamo Bay, which made it one of the most notable films of this year’s Sci-Fi-London. … Stress Position is an intelligent, thought-provoking film, which can only become increasingly relevant … the overall effect is a film you both want to see again because of its numerous admirable qualities, and never want to re-endure because the psychological tortures are so convincing and the verisimilitude too unnerving.
- ELECTRIC SHEEP MAGAZINE, Alex Fitch (May 29, 2013)
…the film is stylish, chilling at times and very well acted.
- VANCOUVER OBSERVOR, Volkmar Richter (May 23, 2014)
Even though there are rules – 1. No severe pain. 2. No permanent physical damage. 3. Nothing illegal — I was shocked at how bad it got. It’s not clear how much of their suffering is performance art in their stylized white “torture chamber”, with a steel mesh sculpture as the centre piece, but their reactions to sleeplessness, waterboarding, being forced to defecate on oneself and intimate pyschological torture seemed real and true.
- VANCOUVER IS AWESOME, Susan Gittins (May 23, 2014)
On one level, Stress Position melds the high-concept stylishness of creepy Canadiana like Cube with the torture porn of Saw. A caveat: in this case the punishment is almost all psychological, but somehow more disturbing because of that. … But what makes this outing from writer-director-actor A.J. Bond so impressive is it’s also so much more than that. … To give away much more about this taut, blackly comic little exercise in intensity would be unfair. Rest assured, though, it’ll expand your notions of what torture is—and who your friends are.
- THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, Janet Smith (May 21, 2014)
…there’s still so much going on inside Stress Position that your wheels will be spinning for days.
- THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, ADRIAN MACK (May 21, 2014)
Both Amito and Bond are proud about telling stories in, frankly, weird ways. There are some really profound artistic revelations in the movie as it rolls through.
- THE PROVINCE, Stuart Derdeyn (May 20, 2014)
…fascinating and thrilling … a nearly flawless debut feature which jumps head first into psychological terror. There’s something darkly methodic, almost evil, in Stress Position.
- FILMBIZARRO.COM, Ronny Carlsson (March 5, 2014)
The political allegory also functions on a meta level, showing an abusive auteur taking his personal vision too far. The payoff comes in the turnaround and seeing how Bond’s own cruelties inform his newly made enemy’s revenge.
- THE OREGONIAN, Jamie S. Rich (June 6, 2013)