''Blood Pressure'' is a 2012 Canadian film co-written, directed and produced by Sean Garrity. The film stars

Michelle Giroux Michelle Giroux (born 1976) is a Canadian actress whose credits include numerous productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival over fourteen seasons. Stage roles Upon graduating from high school in Toronto, Giroux was accepted as an acting ...

as a pharmacist who is unhappy with her life and marriage, who starts to receive letters from an anonymous admirer, asking her to undertake increasingly risky activities.

Production

The idea for the film originated in a writer's group in the Neighbourhood Bookstore and Cafe in

Wolseley, Winnipeg Wolseley is a neighbourhood located within the West End, Winnipeg, West End of Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is named for field marshal Sir Garnet Wolseley, a British Army officer who came to Manitoba in 1870 to suppress the Red River Rebellion. It is ...

, and is based on a story by the film's cowriter Bill Fugler. Garrity then added narrative elements to bring the idea to the big screen. The director had planned to shoot the film in Winnipeg when a sudden career opportunity for his wife led to them relocating to Toronto. Garrity found the expense of shooting in a big city to be financially and physically draining, compared to his experiences in his native Winnipeg. In an effort to find a big enough house for the film's middle-class main characters, who would not be able to afford such a large residence in Toronto, Garrity ended up filming in suburban

Richmond Hill, Ontario Richmond Hill ( 2021 population: 202,022) is a city in south-central York Region, Ontario, Canada. Part of the Greater Toronto Area, it is the York Region's third most populous municipality and the 27th most populous municipality in Canada. Ric ...

. Giroux, better known as a stage actress and friend of cast member

Jonas Chernick Jonas Chernick (born July 16, 1973) is a Canadian actor and screenwriter.

, was originally brought in simply to read with the male actors during pre-production. But she so impressed Garrity that she was chosen for lead role over other actresses with more film experience.

Release

''Blood Pressure'' premiered in Winnipeg on February 22, 2013 with sold out screenings at the city's Cinematheque, followed by a run at the

Empire Theatres Empire Theatres Limited was a movie theatre chain in Canada, a subsidiary of Empire Company Ltd., the holding company of the Sobey family conglomerate. In June 2013, Empire announced it would exit the movie theatre business, selling the vas ...

8 in Grant Park, Winnipeg starting Mar. 8. The film opened in Toronto at The Royal Theatre on March 15, and was moved to the Carlton Theatre on March 22, where it was held over. The film reportedly averaged $3000 per screen in Toronto and Winnipeg, according to distributor Flying Horsie Films.

References

External links

* {{Sean Garrity Films set in Toronto Films shot in Toronto 2012 drama films Canadian drama films 2012 films English-language Canadian films Films directed by Sean Garrity 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films English-language drama films