Stay the Night reflects the pride of Toronto @SXSW 2022

It’s so nice to see a film against the backdrop of the cold downtown city life in Toronto. Stay The Night by director Renuka Jeyapalan is a modern-day reflection of building a life in this Canadian urban centre. Known for its diversity and cultural sectors, Toronto is more progressive than cities across this nation and around the world.

Having done episodes of Kim’s Convenience and Son of Critch, Renuka Jeyapalan directs what she sees. She does not change or substitute elements of her film or work to appease a certain audience. Like Canadian director Charles Officer of The Porter, Jeyapalan is telling the story she wants to tell in its truest form and space that she has been hungry for.

The main character Grace played by Andrea Bang, is not good when it comes to relationships. Dating apps and the volatile hookup culture are not her things. Her focus is mainly on her career in human resources. Her couch surfing friend Joni, played by Humberly Gonzàlez, always pesters her to find a man to have a fling.

After accepting an invitation from Joni to meet up with some singles, Grace accidentally meets Carter Stone played by Joe Scarpellino. He is being sent down to a minor league hockey team after his below-average play. He is to stay the night in Toronto in a hotel. This determines if he gets claimed off waivers or demoted within the 24 hour period. Within that time, these two lost souls see if they have any chemistry. In addition to exposing their dreams and vulnerabilities to one another.

City of Toronto

Against the cold backdrop of the diverse pockets of Toronto, this witty and charming rom-com reflects its hustle and bustle. Renuka Jeyapalan reflects this well as things happen fast or not fast enough. Just like Grace who quickly quits in making a move towards a guy who she likes. And Carter who was surehandedly playing good hockey but then got demoted. Or Joni who quickly connects with a guy and immediately has sex with him within a matter of hours.

There is truth to Grace’s character of being lost and lonely when living in the big city. It is easy to get lost in a place where there are plenty of opportunities. Or for guys like Carter where their whole life comes down to the sport that they play. For us north of the border, hockey is life and life is hockey for both many men and women. Or for women like Joni who is keeping up with Joneses by taking part in the hook-up culture.

But there are so many elements of this film that screams Toronto. Like people who couch surf and have sex on your couch. To the little holes in the wall in Kensington Market or the after-hours partying with your sophisticated co-workers. But there is no better place than the city of Toronto where interracial relationships have become the norm and far from the narrative of becoming widely accepted.

Is this woke?

If people call this “woke” because a Caucasian male is courting a professional young Asian female, then it is preposterous. To think that these relationships do not happen simply is turning a blind eye. Stay the Night is not woke cinema where characters are positioned to prove a sense of livelihood. Rather the film is a true narrative of how relationships exist within a Canadian urban centre like Toronto.

Director Renuka Jeyapalan makes a rom-com that exists for those who live in this city. There are different logistics when it comes to our city which has been often compared to that of New York. With that being said, our vision of romance and relationships is unique to our city. Especially when it comes to the way that we communicate with one another. It comes down to the universal language of love that others have difficulty of understanding when they are not from these parts.

We have a voice of our own and we do understand each other because we are one big community in this city. To have both Andrea Bang to play Grace and Joe Scarpellino to play Carter is just a testament to how two different people form relationships in our beloved community. It may sound Greek still to some but they should take off their jacket and stay awhile to understand. Stay the Night!