Synopsis:

Picture Claire is a frenzied film noir about CLAIRE BEAUCAGE (Juliette Lewis), a young woman whose dreams of a better life are kick-started into reality by a one-night stand with Toronto photographer BILLY STEWART (Kelly Harms). Unable to speak English and a victim of mistaken identity, Claire is thrown into an extraordinary set of circumstances, only to find that the outside world is full of chaos, danger, betrayal and the violation of trust.

The story begins in East Montreal as Claire barely escapes an apartment fire set by a motorcycle gang seeking revenge. In search of safety, yet unable to speak English, Claire flees to Toronto to find Billy, the only person she knows outside of Montreal.

On her way up to Billy's apartment, Claire passes the attractive LILY WARDEN (Gina Gershon), who lives below him. With her only lead being a flyer announcing Billy's photographic exhibit that evening, Claire makes her way to a nearby donut shop for directions. There she meets EDDIE BARLOW (Mickey Rourke), a low-life smuggler who taunts Claire while waiting for Lily, his dubious partner returning from a job.

With the hapless Claire in the bathroom, events explode in the restaurant leaving Eddie dead, loot lost, and Claire as the main suspect. Fate intervenes as the true killer, Lily, runs from Eddie's goons, CULVER and LARAMIE. Claire makes her way to the art gallery, oblivious of the murder and the cops who are looking for her. At the gallery where Billy's work is being exhibited, Claire is devastated to discover a larger than life photograph of herself, asleep in her Montreal bed.

Angry and hurt, Claire returns to Billy's apartment for a showdown. This time, she breaks in only to discover Billy with his new girlfriend CYNTHIA (Camilla Rutherford). Not only has he stolen Claire's image, but he has also stolen her heart. Unwilling to return to Montreal, mistrustful of Billy, and unable to keep running from the police, Lily, and Eddie's thugs, Claire's universe shrinks to a world of desperate measures. At the same time, Lily's world comes crashing down as Eddie's associates draw closer to reclaiming their missing goods.

With nothing more to lose, Claire chooses to assert herself and to pursue her dream, regardless of the cost.

CALLUM ON THE PROJECT:
"Bruce is the Scorsese to my Canadian De Niro. That's how comfortably we work together. I have complete respect for what he wants. Bruce gives his actors a great freedom, but with that freedom comes responsibility. There's flamboyance in the script, but I played against it because I didn't think it served the story. Laramie comes from a black market background. He's casual about this job because it's not a day adventure. Culver is just a passing acquaintance and the job is supposed to take ten minutes. But it takes the whole day, so Culver is in over his head after ten minutes is up. Culver doesn't really know what Laramie is all about and Laramie doesn't care what Culver is about. Culver is just along for the ride...until he's not."

BRUCE ON CAL
"Callum Keith Rennie is one of the only Canadian male actors who has that really masculine cool. He is matineé handsome, but with some miles on him and an edge. At our reading, it was fun to see him trying on wildly different personas for the part, like an effete British villain and then a Christopher Walken bad guy. In the end, he went with the kind of person who really enjoys what he's doing, but he didn't play it as the 'fun boy' right through the end."

Production Company: Serendipity Point Films
Producer: Robert Lantos, Wendy Grean
Screenplay: Semi Chellas
Cinematography: Miroslaw Baszak
Editor: Michael Pacek
Production Designer: Rob Gray
Music: Paul Haslinger