Connection at the heart of Canadian Renuka Jeyapalan's Life Support

For this new TIFF short, it's a simple premise, really: A woman's daily jog is interrupted by a stranger's emotional outburst, and before the jogger realizes what's happening, this poor old lady—who confesses her deeply rooted sorrow and guilt for pulling the plug on her comatose grandson—is hugging the jogger, holding on, and holding on, requiring emotional support. In the middle of a desolate park. 

Shot in black and white, featuring a dog who plays the foil, or rather, the impetus for the jogger's interrupted daily exercise, and an intense cringe-comedy moment that unexpectedly results in a genuine, warm, connection, Life Support is one of six episodes of a adaptations of personal stories cherry-picked from The Globe and Mail's First Person section (previously known as Facts and Arguments).

"These are essays written by everyday Canadians that are really amazing, personal, moving, funny, and run the gamut of emotions," says director Renuka Jeyapalan of the treasure trove of personal stories that have been published in the newspaper for the last 30 years.

While the rest of the episodes will be released on The Globe and Mail's website later this month, one of three of episodes directed by Jeyapalan will play in TIFF's Short Cuts program. 

Jeyapalan flipped through several stories before her curiosity was piqued by the title "Life Support: One day in the dog park" written by Barbara Wackerle Baker.

"It was just a great story," says Jeyapalan. "It touched me. Two people connecting – a topic that I tend to lean towards in my own work. I felt like if I could adapt it, it would have something to say, because it was very moving and beautiful."

The author of the original story could be described as being a more cheerful, responsive person, but Jeyapalan thought it would be entertaining to turn the jogger (Raven Dauda) into a reserved individual focused on her morning exercise. 

"She's jogging to classical music. Who does that?" says Jeyapalan. "That's her, though, very fixed, regimented, and she doesn't want to interact with anyone – not even a dog."

Once the old lady (played by Jayne Eastwood) has exorcised her feelings, Dauda's character has changed. 

"At the end they walk away from each other but you feel a real connection was made and that will filter into our main character's life – maybe she won't be so fixed and rigid. It's about strangers connecting when someone's in pain."

It's a sentiment that feels especially resonant in today's world, where the superficial connections provided in the digital era have eclipsed and downplayed the importance of genuine emotional connection. Jeyapalan most certainly feels that way in Toronto.

"Especially in the big city, you don't know what's going on in someone's life. Maybe it will make someone feel they're not alone, and to reach out to people."

Eastwood's appeal is hinted at in the film's title and carries a significant emotional gravity: describing the pain of having to turn off your family member's life support is not an easy subject to talk about with close friends or family, let alone a stranger. 

Yet, it is exactly this anonymity offered by Dauda's uninterested jogger that makes the confession all the more appealing and even believable. The film balances out the serious subject matter with a very specific tone and levity that Jeypalan felt was necessary for the piece—"comedy is pain"—though, she had to ensure the comedic undertone was "wasn't too big, either, but grounded and real."

Jeypalan was also excited to cast comedienne Eastwood against type. "She doesn't have any comedy in this," says Jeypalan, "but she's the queen of comedy in Canada. And she's a classically trained actress. It's not something we've seen her do. She gave so much."

To Eastwood's credit, one line near the end of the short, in which her character informs the jogger the times she's usually in the dog park, so Dauda's character can avoid her, is a funny moment in self-deprecation that helps dial back the cringe-comedic effect. 

Jeypalan hopes that this will be the first of multiple seasons, and that she can invite up-and-coming filmmakers to mentor with previous directors in future editions. "We'd love to do a second cycle," she says. "It's really my interest in it to become an incubator for new talent. I love First Person because it's everyday Canadians, and it's very Heritage Minute-like!"

Life Support screens as part of TIFF's Short Cuts Programme 2 on Friday, Sept 6 and Thursday, Sept 12.