Shark Week

BUFF loves films that find fresh ways to tell familiar stories. We thrive on new voices and new approaches.

The story of Shark Week is a tale as old as time: a man named Bill loses his dog (also named Bill). He searches the streets of Toronto over the course of 24 hours, encountering many different characters along the way.

But what makes Bri Poke’s debut feature so outstanding is the tremendous heart she pours into this story. Where similar observational “wander dramedies” may mock the strange characters their protagonist encounters, Bri’s characters don’t feel like stereotypes forged for the sake of a forced laugh or tear. They feel like real, honest-to-goodness human beings: humans with flaws, scars, and unfulfilled needs.

What Bri does with Shark Week isn’t monumental or staggering in scale. She is content to focus on small moments, build up small changes, and create small bits of meaning. All these little moments slowly break through the characters’ walls, ultimately culminating in emotions far more profound than may have seemed possible at the beginning of the film.

With a gift for humorous encounters on par with Linklater, a knack for crafting raw, realistic characters, and a whimsical sense of empathy rivaling Miranda July, Bri Poke is a force of nature whose work we are proud to support and share with you.