Regular WFF contributor BC filmmaker Carl Bessai has been experimenting with storytelling form and structure ever since his first film JOHNNY (1999), about squeegee kids in Toronto. In film after film like MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS, FATHERS & SONS, and SISTERS & BROTHERS, Bessai has been approaching a short story perspective where improvisation and pointed character unveiling have made working on his films an actor’s dream. But here,­ he has outdone himself.

Bessai introduces the stories of seventeen young women in their twenties living in three cities: Toronto, Los Angeles and New York City. He is a master on how to get right into a story with no fuss or mess. The stories reflect the diversity and challenges that women of various ethnic backgrounds have to deal with. For example, an immigrant woman in New York whose mother insists passionately that she must become a doctor because that is why Mom has sacrificed her life. The film cleverly flits from one recognizable young female character to another, such as Izzy, who lives her life online, or Soreya who meets with a director (cameo by Bessai himself) looking for a job. In fact, it is a measure of the power of these short stories, that at least five or six storylines cry out for a feature film of their own.

Bessai has created seventeen mini-movies for the price of one, and a rare film that cares to dive into the concerns of the young women of today with empathy and humour. With all stories developed directly with the actors portraying them, he gives voice to a new generation. IN HER CITY is Bessai at his experimental best.