The Tracey Fragments (film)

Infobox Film
name = The Tracey Fragments

---

caption =
director = Bruce McDonald
producer = Sarah Timmins
Paul Barkin
Phyllis Laing
Kryssta Mills
Derek Rappaport
writer = Maureen Medved (novel and screenplay)
starring = Ellen Page
Kate Todd
Ryan Cooley
music = Broken Social Scene
cinematography = Steve Cosens
editing = Jeremy Munce
Gareth C. Scales
distributor = THINKFilm
released = November 2, 2007 (CA)
May 9, 2008 (US)
runtime = 77 min.
country = Canada
language = English
budget = CAD$750,000
gross = $42,318
website = http://www.thetraceyfragments.com/
amg_id = 1:387262
imdb_id = 0801526

"The Tracey Fragments" is a 2007 drama film directed by Canadian Bruce McDonald and written by Maureen Medved, based on her novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Page in the title role, is produced by Sarah Timmins and executive produced by Paul Barkin.

The film was selected to open the Panorama section of the 57th Berlinale and had its world premiere on Thursday February 8, 2007. It is being distributed in Canada by Odeon Films, with world sales being handled by Bavaria Films International. The film had its North American premiere at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. Canadian theatrical release followed in October 2007. The film was acquired for the United States by THINKFilm, and was released May 9, 2008. [ [http://www.apple.com/trailers/thinkfilm/thetraceyfragments/ Apple - Trailers - The Tracey Fragments] ] After a screening at the Possible Worlds 2007 Canadian Film Festival the film was acquired for DVD release in Australia and New Zealand by Siren Visual.

The film was low budget, being made on only CAD$750,000.

Plot

15-year-old Tracey Berkowitz (Ellen Page) is naked under a tattered shower curtain at the back of a bus, looking for her little brother Sonny (Zie Souwand), who thinks he's a dog.

Tracey's journey leads us into the dark underbelly of the city, into the emotional cesspool of her home, through the brutality of her high school, the clinical cat and mouse games with her shrink and her soaring fantasies of Billy Zero (Slim Twig) - a dirty rapist and her Rock 'n' Roll savior. Her travels also put her in contact with the seedier inhabitants of the city, like Lance (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), her would-be savior who ultimately puts her life in jeopardy.

Tracey's stories begin to intertwine truth with lies, and hope with despair as we move closer to the truth of Sonny's disappearance.

Cast

* Ellen Page as Tracey Berkowitz
* Kate Todd as Debbie Dodge
* Ryan Cooley as David
* Libby Adams as Young Tracy Berkowitz
* Ari Cohen as Mr. Berkowitz
* Maxwell McCabe-Lokos as Lance
* Zie Souwand as Sonny Berkowitz
* Derek Scott as Headstand Johnny
* Slim Twig as Billy Zero
* Sydney Rodgers as Tracy Berkowitz Imagination

Music

The score is composed by and features music from Canadian indie rock group Broken Social Scene. The soundtrack also features Peaches, The FemBots, Rose Melberg, and a cover version of Patti Smith's "Land" by Land of Talk's Elizabeth Powell.

Tracey Re:fragmented

"Tracey Re:fragmented" is a project by the director and producers that made available all footage from the film shoot to download and remix into "their own related projects, including music videos, new trailers or to re-edit the entire movie themselves".cite web|url=http://www.thetraceyfragments.com/ |title=The Tracey Fragments Official site|accessdate=2008-06-02|] The footage was released under a Creative Commons license [Cite web
last = Parkins
first = Cameron
title = Tracey: Re-Fragmented - Creative Commons
work = Creative Commons
format = Blog
accessdate = 2008-06-03
date = 2007-10-29
url = http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/7775] as four torrents, each approximately four gigabytes in size. A contest was held for the best use of the footage from August 2007 till January 2008, with the winning material being included on the DVD release.

Critical reception

As of May 9, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 40% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 30 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tracey_fragments/ |title=The Tracey Fragments Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=2008-05-09 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 65 out of 100, based on 7 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/traceyfragments|title=Tracey Fragments, The (2008): Reviews|accessdate=2008-05-09 |publisher=Metacritic]

Awards and nominations

* 2007 won the Manfred Salzgeber Award, and chosen as the opening film for the Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin Panorama section
* September 2007: Atlantic Film Festival: Best Canadian Feature, Ellen Page, Best Actress
* January 28, 2008: 28th Annual Genie Awards by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (ACCT). 6 Nominations including:
** Achievement in Direction - Bruce McDonald
** Achievement in Editing - Jeremiah Munce, Gareth C. Scales
** Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Ellen Page
** Achievement in Overall Sound - John Hazen, Matt Chan, Brad Dawe
** Achievement in Sound Editing - Steven Munro, John Sievert, David Drainie Taylor
** Adapted Screenplay - Maureen Medved

References

External links

* [http://www.thetraceyfragments.com/ Official site]
* [http://thetraceyfragments.blogspot.com/ Official blog]
* [http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/action/traceyfragments/ Apple Final Cut Studio 2 on The Tracey Fragments]
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