''Defy Gravity'' is a Canadian drama film, directed by Michael Gibson and released in 1990. The film stars R. H. Thomson as Bill Fiddich, an inventor with

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...

who is physically abusive to his wife Mary ( Chapelle Jaffe) and daughter Debbie (Karen Saunders); Simon Reynolds as Patrick, his teenage son who is spared the physical abuse but is struggling to understand how to stand up to his father to protect the rest of the family; and Tracey Moore as Miss McInnis, Patrick's high school history teacher who tries to provide the emotional guidance Patrick isn't getting at home. The film's cast also includes

Louis Ferreira Louis Ferreira (born Luís Henrique da Rocha Ferreira; born 20 February 1966) is a Canadian actor. Ferreira is known for his roles in ''Stargate Universe'' as Colonel Everett Young, serial killer Ray Prager in the first season of ''Durham County ...

, London Juno, Damir Andrei and

Earl Pastko Earl Pastko is an American actor known for his roles in theatre, film and television. Early life Pastko was born and raised in Chicago and moved to Canada in 1985. He currently resides in Toronto. Career Pastko is a founding member of Chicago ...

. The film's working title was ''Resistance''. The film premiered at the 1990 Festival of Festivals."Film festival turns focus on Canada". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', August 1, 1990. Moore received a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the

13th Genie Awards The 13th annual Genie Awards were held on November 22, 1992, to honour Canada, Canadian films released in late 1991 and 1992. They were dominated by David Cronenberg's ''Naked Lunch (film), Naked Lunch'', Jean-Claude Lauzon's ''Léolo'', and Jean B ...

in 1992."The Genie nominees". ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunn ...

'', October 14, 1992.

References

External links

* 1990 films 1990 drama films Canadian drama films English-language Canadian films 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films English-language drama films {{1990s-Canada-film-stub