Little Criminals (film)
Encyclopedia
Little Criminals is a 1995 Canadian movie. It was directed by Stephen Surjik
. The movie was shot in Vancouver
in the spring of 1995. The camerawork is mostly done hand-held and at eye level for a more realistic feeling.
When Des meets Cory, they become good friends and start a crime spree, feeling like nothing can stop them. Eventually, Des's mother admits she can't handle her child, and Des ends up in an assessment centre for troubled children. In the centre he meets Rita, a psychologist who tries to understand Des's motivations, and over time gets some positive results on his behaviour. But when Rita informs Des that they are trying to find him a foster home, Des flees as soon as his friend Cory visits him. They both want to get out of the city and plan to rob Chet, the local dealer. During the robbery, Des accidentally kills Chet and threatens Cory. In the end, Cory is afraid for Des and wants nothing more to do with him. Des, still on the run because of his escape, goes to his home, sets the house on fire, and conceals himself in his personal hideout, the closet drawing and falls asleep as the house is on fire.
Stephen Surjik
Stephen Surjik is a Canadian film and television director mostly working in television. Surjik was nominated three times for Gemini Awards for best direction, for Little Criminals, Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery, Intelligence, and received four Emmy Award nominations for Weapons of Mass...
. The movie was shot in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in the spring of 1995. The camerawork is mostly done hand-held and at eye level for a more realistic feeling.
Characters
- Des - (Brendan FletcherBrendan FletcherBrendan Fletcher is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Fletcher was born in Comox Valley, British Columbia and went to junior high school at Lake Trail in Courtenay, British Columbia....
) The troubled kid who leads the gang of little criminals - Cory - (Myles FergusonMyles Ferguson- Biography :He was the son of Mike and Karen Ferguson, and brother of Alexandra and Wylie Ferguson. He made his acting debut in the 1994 television film Avalanche and appeared in several other television series throughout the 1990s such as Are You Afraid of The Dark, The Commish, The Odyssey and...
) Des's best friend - House - (Adam HarrisonAdam HarrisonAdam James Harrison is a cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler.Harrison has played for the England under-19 team, and started playing Twenty20 cricket for Glamorgan in 2005, going on to make first-class and List A appearances for the club.His father, Stuart,...
) Part of the gang - Sam - (Jordan Clarke)
- Jamal - (London Sam Baergen)
- Nick - (John Nguyen)
- Tak - (Loc Vo)
- Vince - (Randy Hughson) Stepfather of Cory
- Rita - (Mimi Kuzyk) A psychologist who tries to understand Des
- Clarke - (Dwight McFee)
- Chet - (Jed ReesJed ReesJed Rees is a Canadian Comedy Award-nominated actor from Vancouver, British Columbia, best known for his roles in movies such as Men With Brooms and The Ringer -Early life:...
) Dealer who buys stolen goods and sells drugs to kids - Kostash - (Callum Keith RennieCallum Keith RennieCallum Keith Rennie is a British-born Canadian television and film actor. He started his career in Canadian film and television projects, where his portrayal of Stanley Raymond Kowalski in the TV series Due South was his first international success...
) Officer - Judy - (Sonia Norris)
- Nonny - (Keely Purvis)
Plot
The story is mainly about an eleven year old kid named Des. He and his friends do all kinds of illegal things like vandalism, stealing, lighting fires, mug people and use drugs. In Canada, the age of criminal responsibility is twelve. Des takes advantage of this law because he knows that the police cannot touch him because of his young age.When Des meets Cory, they become good friends and start a crime spree, feeling like nothing can stop them. Eventually, Des's mother admits she can't handle her child, and Des ends up in an assessment centre for troubled children. In the centre he meets Rita, a psychologist who tries to understand Des's motivations, and over time gets some positive results on his behaviour. But when Rita informs Des that they are trying to find him a foster home, Des flees as soon as his friend Cory visits him. They both want to get out of the city and plan to rob Chet, the local dealer. During the robbery, Des accidentally kills Chet and threatens Cory. In the end, Cory is afraid for Des and wants nothing more to do with him. Des, still on the run because of his escape, goes to his home, sets the house on fire, and conceals himself in his personal hideout, the closet drawing and falls asleep as the house is on fire.
Trivia
- Brendan Fletcher makes his acting debut as Des.
- Myles Ferguson died in a car accident on 29 September 2000.
Awards
- Gemini Awards: Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series (Alison Grace)
- Gemini Awards: Best Writing in a Dramatic Program (Dennis Foon)
- Geneva Cinéma Tout Ecran: Stephen SurjikStephen SurjikStephen Surjik is a Canadian film and television director mostly working in television. Surjik was nominated three times for Gemini Awards for best direction, for Little Criminals, Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery, Intelligence, and received four Emmy Award nominations for Weapons of Mass...
- Leo Awards: Best Actor (Brendan FletcherBrendan FletcherBrendan Fletcher is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Fletcher was born in Comox Valley, British Columbia and went to junior high school at Lake Trail in Courtenay, British Columbia....
) - Leo Awards: Best Editing in a Picture (Alison Grace)
- Leo Awards: Best Production Design in a Picture (Lawrence Collett)
- Leo Awards: Best Screenwriter of a Picture (Dennis Foon)
- Writers Guild of Canada Award: Dennis Foon
Nominations
- Gemini Awards: Best Direction in a Dramatic Program (Stephen SurjikStephen SurjikStephen Surjik is a Canadian film and television director mostly working in television. Surjik was nominated three times for Gemini Awards for best direction, for Little Criminals, Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery, Intelligence, and received four Emmy Award nominations for Weapons of Mass...
) - Gemini Awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program (Brendan FletcherBrendan FletcherBrendan Fletcher is a Canadian actor.-Life and career:Fletcher was born in Comox Valley, British Columbia and went to junior high school at Lake Trail in Courtenay, British Columbia....
) - Gemini Awards: Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program (Mimi Kuzyk)
- Gemini Awards: Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program (Sabrina Grdevich)
- Gemini Awards: Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series (Stephen Reizes)
- Gemini Awards: Best Production Design or Art Direction (Lawrence Collett)
- Gemini Awards: Best Sound in a Dramatic Program or Series (Hans Fousek, Paul A. Sharpe, Bill Moore, Jacqueline Cristianini, Dean Giammarco, Anke Bakker)
- Gemini Awards: Best TV Movie (Phil Savath)
- Leo Awards: Best Director of a Picture (Stephen Surjik)
- Leo Awards: Best Picture (Phil Savath)