Until Branches Bend

Until Branches Bend

Canada | 2022 | 98 min. | Sophie Jarvis

In this zeitgeisty, confident, and visually evocative debut of social commentary shot on 16mm, a pregnant cannery worker in the Okanagan Valley discovers a peach crop infestation and makes it her mission to convince everybody of its danger.

Director Sophie Jarvis and Editor Kane Stewart scheduled to attend.

Until Branches Bend is a zeitgeisty, confident, and visually evocative debut from longtime short filmmaker and accomplished production designer Sophie Jarvis. It's a psychological drama about one woman's desire to have her voice heard. The story follows Robin (Grace Glowicki), a cannery worker who finds what she believes to be an invasive insect inside of a peach. She speaks up causing an economic and social chain reaction within her small town that leaves her all but outcast. Meanwhile, Robin struggles with the discovery of an unwanted pregnancy, which is the result of an extramarital affair. As pressure mounts, she finds herself tearing into the flesh of mounds of fruit to prove to the world, and to herself, that she knows what she saw. This slow burn look at a rural ecosystem is elevated by epic sound design, beautiful 16mm cinematography, and a downright biblical final act. Indie darling Grace Glowicki imbues Robin with a memorable mix of misfit awkwardness, naïveté, and raw humanity. As much as Until Branches Bend is one woman's story, it reveals a larger class commentary that deftly examines the way that we often act against our own self interest—on both individual and societal levels.

Laura Good

  • Director: Sophie Jarvis
  • Principal Cast: Grace Glowicki, Alexandra Roberts, Quelemia Sparrow, Lochlyn Munro, Antoine DesRochers
  • Country: Canada
  • Year: 2022
  • Running Time: 98 min.
  • Producer: Tyler Hagan, Sara Blake, Magali Gillon-Krizaj, Michela Pini, Olga Lamontanara
  • Screenplay: Sophie Jarvis
  • Cinematographers: Jeremy Cox
  • Editors: Kane Stewart
  • Music: Kieran Jarvis
  • Website: Official Film Website
  • Awards: Vancouver International Film Festival 2022 (Best BC Film)
  • Filmography: Debut Feature Film
  • Language: English
  • International Sales: TVCO