Only opens in a motel in northern Ontario, the kind of place where stays don’t extend much past one night before families move on to bigger, better places. That’s the case for pretty much everyone except Daniel (Jacob Switzer), who works and lives in the motel, which is owned by his parents. The film begins with Daniel going through his daily routine — stripping beds, washing towels and figuring out ways to avoid those duties. His parents are caricatures, barking at him about this, that or the other thing, never pausing for an affectionate moment. Like many film characters in similar situations, Daniel deals with his circumstances using his imagination — or at least we assume he does. He disappears into his own head, but the film never goesin there. We’re as disconnected from him in these moments as he is from the world around him.
His life is given a dose of reality when a young girl named Vera (Elena Hudgins Lyle) arrives at the motel with her parents. The two of them take the day off and venture into the surrounding forest to do the things that kids do in small towns — walk along train tracks, climb bridges and hang out at the gas station. During these adventures, they try to hold conversations, though most of them are short-lived. Vera asks Daniel about fear, reincarnation and death, and Daniel responds with one-word answers and shrugs of his shoulders. It would appear that 12-year-old Daniel is not up to the challenge that 13-year-old Vera provides.
With the abrupt conversations and extended periods of silence, it’s hard to get to know much about these characters. In an attempt to give them some emotional depth, writer Ingrid Veninger piles tragedies into their stories — Vera hints at being a narcoleptic with alcoholic, abusive parents; Daniel is bullied by the towns’ other kids, and mentions an unfulfilling Internet relationship. Heady stuff for a couple of tweens.
Only follows this story to its logical conclusion — both young lives continue on their respective trajectories and this chance meeting is likely just a blip on their radars. The movie is made with an independent spirit, but its independent budget is more noticeable. The elements of a good story are here, but the characters aren’t given enough to say and the silence doesn’t fill in enough of the blanks for them.
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