I Don't Know Who You Are

Last updated
I Don't Know Who You Are
Directed by M. H. Murray
Written byM. H. Murray
Mark Clennon
Victoria Long
Produced byM. H. Murray
Mark Clennon
Martine Brouillet
Victoria Long
StarringMark Clennon
CinematographyDmitry Lopatin
Edited byM. H. Murray
Music by Spencer Creaghan
Production
company
Black Elephant Productions
Release dates
  • September 7, 2023 (2023-09-07)(TIFF)
  • May 24, 2024 (2024-05-24)(United States)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

I Don't Know Who You Are is a 2023 Canadian drama film, written, directed, and edited by M. H. Murray. [1] Murray's full-length directorial debut, the film stars Mark Clennon as Benjamin, a gay working class musician who is urgently trying to find $1,000 to pay for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) [2] to protect himself from HIV after he is sexually assaulted by a stranger. [1]

Contents

The film premiered in the Discovery program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, [3] before being picked up for theatrical distribution in 2024. [4] [5]

Plot

Over the course of one weekend, a gay working class musician named Benjamin must urgently scrape together $1,000 to pay for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to protect himself from HIV after he is sexually assaulted by a stranger. [1] [2]

Cast

Health care workers depicted in the film are portrayed by real medical professionals involved in HIV treatment and advocacy. [6]

Production

I Don't Know Who You Are marks the second film collaboration between filmmaker M. H. Murray and actor Mark Clennon. M. H. Murray and Mark Clennon at TIFF.png
I Don't Know Who You Are marks the second film collaboration between filmmaker M. H. Murray and actor Mark Clennon.

Benjamin is a reprisal of the same character Clennon previously played in Murray's 2020 short film Ghost. [7] The screenplay is based in part on Murray's own experience having to navigate the health care system to attain PEP treatment after being sexually assaulted. [6]

The film was co-produced by Murray and Clennon, with Martine Brouillet and Victoria Long, [8] while Clennon and Long also served as story editors for the screenplay. [9]

In an essay for CBC Arts, Murray described the process of making the film on a limited budget, particularly in having to shoot many of its scenes guerrilla-style without permits. [9]

Distribution

The film premiered in the Discovery program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. [3] In March 2024, the film screened at the 38th annual BFI Flare in London. [10]

The film was picked up for distribution after its TIFF premiere, [4] and later had a limited theatrical release in Canada and the United States in 2024. [5] [11]

Critical response

I Don’t Know Who You Are has received generally positive reviews from film critics, [12] [13] [14] [15] with particular praise for Clennon's lead performance. [16] [17] [18] [19] Critics have drawn comparisons between I Don’t Know Who You Are and Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), [20] Uncut Gems (2019), [21] [22] and Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020). [23]

Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail ranked the film 7th on his list of the top 10 Canadian films of 2023, [24] describing the film as "a tremendously tense portrait of small-scale desperation" and "a seriously impressive micro-budget debut". [25]

Adam Nayman, writing for the Toronto Star , called the film “deeply affecting” and wrote that "Murray’s movie transforms its furtive production circumstances into a fully realized style. Instead of showing the city off, it cultivates a dizzy dislocation — the paranoid sensation of being surrounded at all times without necessarily feeling connected, or of anxious walks home under flickering street-lights." [26]

Vadim Rizov of Filmmaker Magazine felt that some scenes were “overly attenuated” but concluded that the film is "a solid feature debut" with “a strong sense of a particular micro-milieu." [27]

Angelo Muredda of Cinema Scope described the film as "an empathetic character study that effectively balances its punchy genre elements with its human drama." [28]

Accolades

YearAssociationCategoryNominee(s)ResultRefs
2023 Calgary International Film Festival $10,000 RBC Emerging Artist AwardM. H. MurrayNominated [29]
2024 Riviera International Film Festival Best FilmNominated [30]
Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival Rising Star AwardWon [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto International Film Festival</span> Annual film festival in Canada

The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organization behind the film festival is also a permanent destination for film culture operating out of the TIFF Lightbox cultural centre, located in Downtown Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Greyson</span> Canadian filmmaker

John Greyson is a Canadian director, writer, video artist, producer, and political activist, whose work frequently deals with queer characters and themes. He was part of a loosely affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Toronto International Film Festival</span> 32nd annual film festival held in Toronto, Canada

The 2007 Toronto International Film Festival was a 32nd annual film festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It ran from September 6, 2007 to September 15, 2007. The lineup consisted of 349 films from 55 countries, selected from 4156 submissions. The selection included 275 mid- to feature-length films, of which 234 were premieres, with 71 by first-time directors. The festival was attended by members of the industry, press and general public. It opened with the world premiere of Jeremy Podeswa's Fugitive Pieces, a film based on the international bestselling novel by Anne Michaels, and closed with Paolo Barzman's Emotional Arithmetic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Hoolboom</span> Canadian filmmaker (born 1959)

Michael Hoolboom is a Canadian independent, experimental filmmaker. Having begun filmmaking at an early age, Hoolboom released his first major work, a "film that's not quite a film" entitled White Museum, in 1986. Although he continued to produce films, his rate of production improved drastically after he was diagnosed with HIV in 1988 or 1989; this gave a "new urgency" to his works. Since then he has made dozens of films, two of which have won Best Short Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. His films have also featured in more than 200 film festivals worldwide.

The Toronto International Film Festival Best Canadian Discovery Award is an annual film award, presented by the Toronto International Film Festival to a film judged to be the best Canadian first or second feature film by an emerging Canadian director.

The Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Film is an annual juried film award, presented by the Toronto International Film Festival to a film judged to be the best Canadian feature film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. H. Murray</span> Canadian writer, filmmaker (b. 1993)

Mathew Hubert Murray, credited professionally as M. H. Murray, is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, director, and producer. He first attracted attention for his work on the web series Teenagers (2014–2017), which won several accolades. Murray's feature-length film debut, I Don't Know Who You Are, premiered in the Discovery program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmanuel Kabongo</span> Canadian actor, producer (born 1986)

Emmanuel Kabongo is a Canadian actor and film producer. Born and raised in Zaire, now present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kabongo immigrated to Canada and began his acting career as an extra before achieving recognition for his performance as the lead protagonist in the Toronto-based web series Teenagers (2014–2017), for which he earned his first Canadian Screen Award nomination. Kabongo also co-produced the series.

The Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Short Film, formerly also known as the NFB John Spotton Award, is an annual film award, presented by the Toronto International Film Festival to a film judged to be the best Canadian short film of the festival. As of 2017, the award is sponsored by International Watch Company and known as the "IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deragh Campbell</span> Canadian actress

Deragh Campbell is a Canadian actress and filmmaker. She is known for her performances in independent Canadian cinema. Her collaborations with filmmaker Sofia Bohdanowicz—Never Eat Alone (2016), Veslemøy's Song (2018), MS Slavic 7 (2019), and Point and Line to Plane (2020)—have screened at film festivals internationally. Campbell has also starred in three of Kazik Radwanski's feature films; she played a small role in How Heavy This Hammer (2015), the lead role in Anne at 13,000 Ft. (2019), and opposite Matt Johnson in Matt and Mara (2024).

<i>Inconvenient Indian</i> 2020 Canadian documentary film

Inconvenient Indian is a 2020 Canadian documentary film, directed by Michelle Latimer. It is an adaptation of Thomas King's non-fiction book The Inconvenient Indian, focusing on narratives of indigenous peoples of Canada. King stars as the documentary's narrator, with Gail Maurice and other indigenous artists appearing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Toronto International Film Festival</span> 46th edition of the festival

The 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, the 46th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, was held from September 9 to 18, 2021. Due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto, the festival was staged as a "hybrid" of in-person and digital screenings. Most films were screened both in-person and on the digital platform, although a few titles were withheld by their distributors from the digital platform and instead were screened exclusively in-person.

Learn to Swim is a Canadian drama film written by Thyrone Tommy and Marni Van Dyk and directed by Tommy in his feature-length directorial debut. The film centres on a stormy romantic relationship between Dezi and Selma, two talented but troubled jazz musicians.

The Amplify Voices Award is an annual film award presented by the Toronto International Film Festival. First presented at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, the award was originally presented to three films annually, with one award open to all Canadian feature films and designated as the Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Film, and two awards presented to films from anywhere in the world directed by filmmakers who are Black, Indigenous or People of Colour. The winners in both the Canadian and BIPOC categories are selected and presented by the same jury.

Chandler Levack is a Canadian writer, director, and filmmaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Creaghan</span> Canadian musician and composer

Spencer Creaghan is a Canadian musician and film composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Clennon</span>

Mark Clennon is a Jamaican Canadian singer, musician, writer, producer, and actor. Born in Kingston, Clennon released several projects as a musician before attracting acclaim for his debut acting performance in the feature film I Don't Know Who You Are, which premiered in the Discovery program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. The music video for Clennon's song "Kingston" became the first music video shot in Jamaica to feature an on-screen romance between two men.

Luis De Filippis is an Italian Canadian film director and screenwriter from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her work includes the award-winning film For Nonna Anna (2017) and Something You Said Last Night (2022).

<i>Riley</i> (film) 2023 film by Benjamin Howard

Riley is a 2023 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Benjamin Howard in his feature film debut. The film stars Jake Holley, Colin McCalla, Riley Quinn Scott, Connor Storrie and Rib Hillis.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mullen, Pat (2023-08-03). "TIFF Announces Midnight Madness and Discovery Line-ups". That Shelf. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  2. 1 2 Spoors, Gavin (2024-03-22). "I Don't Know Who You Are – BFI Flare 2024 (Film Review)". Filmhounds Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  3. 1 2 Complex, Valerie (2023-08-03). "TIFF Unveils Cinematic First Looks With Discovery And Midnight Madness Program; World Premieres Include 'Hell Of A Summer,' 'Gonzo Girl,' 'Widow Clicquot,' And 'Boy Kills World'". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  4. 1 2 Kay, Jeremy (March 6, 2024). "TIFF premiere 'I Don't Know Who You Are' lands US deal (exclusive)". Screen Daily .
  5. 1 2 "'I Don't Know Who You Are': Canadian film explores HIV health care challenges | Watch News Videos Online". Global News. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  6. 1 2 ""It can be a struggle to get health care": Filmmaker M. H. Murray on bringing the realities of HIV treatment to TIFF". Toronto Life. 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  7. ↑ Hall, Erica (2021-05-12). "Filmmaker M.H. Murray Tackles Modern-Dating Anxieties in 'Ghost'". occhimagazine.com. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  8. ↑ Townsend, Kelly (August 3, 2023). "TIFF adds several Canadian world premieres in Discovery lineup" . Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  9. 1 2 M. H. Murray, "We snuck in without permission to shoot our film's climax — and then everything went black". CBC Arts, September 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ Calnan, Ellie. "BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival unveils full line-up". Screen. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  11. ↑ Scheetz, Cameron (2024-06-06). "WATCH: A gay man's search for preventative HIV meds becomes a race against time in this thrilling drama". Queerty. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  12. ↑ "I Don't Know Who You Are | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  13. ↑ Guzman, Andres (2023-10-30). "Andres' TIFF23 Round-Up". The UnderSCENE. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  14. ↑ Fulton, Claire (2024-02-28). "I Don't Know Who You Are Review: Poignant HIV Drama". Loud And Clear Reviews. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  15. ↑ Arnold, Darren (2024-03-21). "BFI Flare 2024: I Don't Know Who You Are" . Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  16. ↑ Levitt, Barry (2023-09-20). "The Best Performances at the Toronto International Film Festival". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  17. ↑ "Mark Clennon on I Don't Know Who You Are - Popdust". www.popdust.com. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  18. ↑ Trussow, Tomas (2023-09-22). "TIFF 2023 Report #1". The Lonely Film Critic. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  19. ↑ Creith, Matthew (2023-09-08). "Review: 'I Don't Know Who You Are' Sheds An Uncomfortable Light On Sexual Assault In The Queer Era". IN Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  20. ↑ Chambers, Bill (2023-09-13). "TIFF '23: I Don't Know Who You Are". FILM FREAK CENTRAL. Retrieved 2024-11-14. I thought a lot about Agnès Varda's Cléo from 5 to 7, of which this film is something of a micro-budget Canadian update, and how after Cléo receives a diagnosis that's serious but not the end of the world, a man tells her he wants to be with her, and she says he's with her right now.
  21. ↑ "I Don't Know Who You Are". TIFF. Retrieved 2024-11-14. Benjamin's increasingly fraught visits to his friends serve as a tour through the city's unspoken class system, shading in further aspects of his mounting anxiety; there are points in the film when it feels like we're watching a microbudget version of Uncut Gems (TIFF '19), with a frenzied protagonist trying so hard to hide his desperation and panic.
  22. ↑ "'I Don't Know Who You Are' Honours Those Who Fall Through the Cracks │ Exclaim!". 'I Don't Know Who You Are' Honours Those Who Fall Through the Cracks │ Exclaim!. Retrieved 2024-11-14. The frantic and tense nature of Benjamin's quest creates the edge-of-your-seat anxieties reminiscent of Josh and Benny Safdie's Uncut Gems. While the latter revolves around a man trying to cheat the system, I Don't Know Who You Are shows that it's far more difficult to simply exist within it.
  23. ↑ Heeney, Alex (2024-04-24). "Film Review: M. H. Murray's I Don't Know Who You Are". Seventh Row. Retrieved 2024-11-14. I Don't Know Who You Are, the first feature film from M. H. Murray, does for access to PEP what Never Rarely Sometimes Always did for abortion access.
  24. ↑ "The 10 best Canadian films of 2023, a year of crises and breakthroughs". The Globe and Mail. 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  25. ↑ "TIFF 2023: Muted opening weekend puts focus on films instead of celebrities, with mixed results". The Globe and Mail. 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  26. ↑ Nayman, Adam; Krasovitiski, Michelle. "As TIFF 2023 kicks off, meet five filmmakers fearlessly reshaping the future of Canadian cinema". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  27. ↑ Rizov, Vadim (2023-09-09). "TIFF 2023: Evil Does Not Exist, I Don't Know Who You Are | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine | Publication with a focus on independent film, offering articles, links, and resources. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  28. ↑ Muredda, Angelo (2023-09-05). "TIFF 2023 | I Don't Know Who You Are (M.H. Murray, Canada) — Discovery". Cinema Scope. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  29. ↑ "Calgary International Film Festival adds new competition to 2023". LiveWire Calgary. 2023-08-16. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  30. ↑ Verbaro, Valeria (2024-05-11). "I Don't Know Who You Are, la recensione del film di M.H. Murray". The Hollywood Reporter Roma (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  31. ↑ Sharpe, Josh. "Winners Revealed for Out Film CT's 37th Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.