When it’s cold, dark, and bleak in Quebec City, there isn’t much to do... and that was before COVID-19. This week’s Staff Pick Premiere, “Found Me” by David Findlay, explores alternative options for self-expression. When your relationship, your work, and your friends aren’t enough, maybe the unbridled passion of underground wrestling is.
Possibly the most Canadian riff on David Fincher’s "Fight Club," this film finds Mitch, a millennial editor who seems a bit stuck, change his life when he accidentally stumbles into a low-rent wrestling operation in a random downtown building. With very little dialogue and most drama conveyed through efficient and effective montage, “Found Me” smartly adheres to "Fight Club’s" first rule: “Do not talk about Fight Club.”
Mitch quietly begins a dual-life, one where he’s the doting boyfriend/friend and another where he’s a no-holds-barred ref. This is about where the similarities with the Brad Pitt film end, because what that movie has in cynicism, this film makes up for in heart. Funny, unexpected, moving, and surprisingly well-edited, Findlay’s film is a beautiful warm spot in a dark winter.
“Found Me” comes online for the first time after a festival premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Ahead of the release, we reached out to writer/director David Findlay to learn more about how this project came together.
What was your inspiration for creating this film?
"I discovered this wrestling community in my hometown of Quebec City about 2 years ago and was astounded. I couldn't believe this existed in my town and the energy was so electric. I was totally taken. That was the beginning. Then I'd always known my friend Mitch could be such a good actor, but he'd never done it before. I felt he, in that universe, could be really interesting. A year after that, a year ago, my favorite band Men I Trust released a new album on which I heard the song 'Found Me.' I sort of became obsessed with it, and that's where it all clicked.
Set against the dark, gloomy and frigid winter of Quebec, I wanted to convey every person’s need to realize themselves - to reach their full transcendent self - however big, small, normal, or totally bizarre their desire for self-expression may be."
Did you face any challenges when making this film?
"Many! But the biggest technical challenge was shooting the final wrestling scene. The extras were actual wrestling fans, and they were into it, but their patience was limited."
What is your best piece of advice to aspiring filmmakers?
"The only piece of advice I can think of is to just never take no for an answer. Make a plan A, B, C, D and so on about how to make your film happen and find a way of turning the restrictions (budget, location, etc.) that will be imposed on you into strengths. That and work with people you love. Life is too short."
What’s next? Any upcoming projects?
"My first (short) documentary ‘Ndagukunda déjà’ has been playing a few festivals like IDFA and Reykjavik and I look forward to sharing it online soon. After meeting his Rwandan father in Montreal for the first time at 28 years old, one of my best friends, Québécois journalist Sébastien Desrosiers set off, in the 25th year anniversary of the genocide, on an existential quest to his ancestral land in search of answers.
I am also writing a new film I am aiming to shoot next summer about grief and adolescence."
