2024 Victoria Film Festival- I Used to be Funny

Laughs + Drama + Trauma
Ally Pankwiv
Canada | 2023 | 105 min

Spending her days employed as an au pair for Brooke, a teenager struggling with the recent death of her mother, and her nights doing stand-up sets in Toronto’s comedy clubs, Sam Cowell’s (Rachel Sennott) comical observations on her life come to a halt as she suffers PTSD symptoms resulting from an unseen event. When she finds out Brooke has run away from home, Sam must make the difficult decision to either try and find the missing teen, or protect herself and bury the past.

Weaving seamlessly between past and present, the events leading to Sam’s current emotional state are revealed as director Ally Pankiw’s debut feature finds a balance in Sam’s struggle that is both darkly hilarious and heartbreaking. Sennott’s brilliant and dynamic performance delivers the dramatic weight of Sam’s story, interlaced with her real-world stand-up performances and seemingly improvised conversations with her friends (and fellow comics), bringing an undeniable authenticity to the film. – DR