Travelling north to freedom through a “strange and ruthless land”, teenager Cécile (Mallori Johnson) and her mother are offered lodgings by the affluent Florence (Lauren Lee Smith), who habitually opens the doors of her lavish manor to refugees. As Cécile falls into a giddy sexual relationship with a young gardener (Idrissa Sanogo Bamba), Florence’s sheltered daughter Fanny (Angourie Rice) develops a voyeuristic obsession. Little do they know, a terrible secret lurks at the heart of the estate.
Set in a stylized world that fusing aesthetics of the antebellum South, occupied Europe, and Algiers, this “tale of two princesses” draws inspiration from the true story of Cecilia Reynolds, a 15-year-old who escaped from slavery in 1846. With its foreboding sound design, expressive lighting, and ominously floating camerawork, Steal Away cultivates a sustained, slow-burning tension. Fans of Get Out and Rosemary’s Baby will be engrossed by this twisty psychological thriller from Clement Virgo, whose previous film Brother (VIFF 2022) earned 12 Canadian Screen Awards.
Oct 6 & 8: Q&A
Angourie Rice, Mallori Johnson, Lauren Lee Smith, Idrissa Sanogo Bamba
Canada/Belgium
2025
In English, French, Lingala with English subtitles
At Vancouver Playhouse
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Caitlin Grabham, Paula Devoshire, Laurie May, Noah Segal, Fred Roos, Anna-Nora Bernstein, Andrew Low
Producer
Damon D’Oliveira, Peter De Maegd, Clement Virgo, Tom Hameeuw
Screenwriter
Tamara Faith Berger, Clement Virgo
Cinematography
Sophie Winqvist Loggins
Editor
Jorge Weisz
Original Music
Fjóla Evans
Production Design
Elisa Sauvé
Clement Virgo
Filmography: Rude (1995); The Planet of Junior Brown (1997); Love Come Down (2000); Lie with Me (2005); Poor Boy’s Game (2007); Brother (2022)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Secret in Their Eyes
This month's Talking Pictures screening is a multi-layered, poignant thriller interweaving the personal lives of a prosecution investigator (Ricardo Darin) and a judge, with a manhunt spanning twenty-five years. Stay for cookies, coffee and a chat after!
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
