''Trigger'' is a 2010 Canadian comedy-drama film directed by Bruce McDonald and starring

Molly Parker Molly Parker (born June 30, 1972) is a Canadian actress, writer, and director. She garnered critical attention for her portrayal of a necrophiliac medical student in the controversial drama '' Kissed'' (1996). She subsequently starred in the tel ...

and Tracy Wright as Kat and Vic, former rock stars reuniting their band Trigger for the first time since their retirement."How the film Trigger underwent a sex change"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', September 11, 2010. The film was originally planned in the late 1990s as a companion film to McDonald's ''

Hard Core Logo ''Hard Core Logo'' is a 1996 Canadian music mockumentary film directed by Bruce McDonald, adapted by Noel S. Baker from the novel of the same name by Michael Turner. The film illustrates the self-destruction of punk rock, documenting a once-pop ...

'', which would have starred

Hugh Dillon Hugh Dillon (born May 31, 1963) is a Canadian singer, actor, and television producer. The lead vocalist of the rock bands Headstones and Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir, his acting roles include Albert Manning in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' ...

and

Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie (born 14 September 1960) is a Canadian actor, based in British Columbia. His breakthrough role was as punk rocker Billy Tallent in the music mockumentary ''Hard Core Logo'' (1996), followed by a starring role as Det. Stanle ...

. However, work on the film remained dormant until McDonald and screenwriter

Daniel MacIvor Daniel MacIvor (born July 23, 1962) is a Canadian actor, playwright, theatre director, and film director. He is probably best known for his acting roles in independent films and the sitcom '' Twitch City''. Personal MacIvor was born in Sydney, ...

decided to rewrite their original screenplay to be about two women instead. Rennie does, however, appear in the film as his ''Hard Core Logo'' character Billy Tallent. The film's cast also includes Daniel MacIvor,

Don McKellar Don McKellar (born August 17, 1963) is a Canadian actor, writer, playwright, and filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. He is known for directing and writing th ...

Sarah Polley Sarah Ellen Polley (born January 8, 1979) is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, political activist and actress.Howell, Peter (September 24, 199"Nobody's Starlet: Toronto's Sarah Polley is Only 20 but already a veteran actor so secure in her craft s ...

Lenore Zann Lenore Zann (born November 22, 1959) is a Canadian actress and politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Cumberland—Colchester in the House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Liberal Party. Before ent ...

, Carole Pope and

Julian Richings Julian Richings (born 30 August 1956)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at Ancestry.com is a British-Canadian character actor, having appeared in over 225 films and television series. He is best known for hi ...

Brendan Canning Brendan Canning (born 1969) is a Canadian indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used ...

Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band and musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the ...

wrote the film's score.

Production

Wright was undergoing treatment for

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

during the film's production."McDonald's 'Trigger' profound"
''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...

'', September 30, 2010. It was the last film she completed before her death.

Distribution

The film premiered as a Special Presentation at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, at a screening that also marked the official opening of the

TIFF Bell Lightbox TIFF Lightbox is a cultural centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the first five floors of the Lightbox and Festival Tower on the northwest corner of King Street and John Street. TIFF Lightbox features five cinemas, two restaurants, ma ...

.Peter Howell, "The palace of dreams: Bell Lightbox is a church of cinema, just what movie-mad Toronto desperately needed". ''

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. ...

'', September 13, 2010.

Awards and nominations

The film garnered four nominations at the 31st Genie Awards, including Best Actress nods for both Wright and Parker. Wright and Parker jointly won the prize for Best Actress at the 2011 ACTRA Toronto Awards."ACTRA Honours Its Best—and Lost Friends—of 2010"
''Torontoist'', February 26, 2011. Wright's husband McKellar, who appeared in the film, accepted the award in her honour, stating in his speech that the award "means more to me than any I've ever won".

References

External links

* 2010 films English-language Canadian films 2010 comedy-drama films Canadian comedy-drama films Films directed by Bruce McDonald 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films English-language comedy-drama films {{2010s-comedy-drama-film-stub