Cabbages and Kings

A dramatic presentation of an alcoholic’s dead-end existence in a small Ontario town. The film shifts confidently between subjective, impressionistic footage – detailing the man’s desperate wanderings in an industrial landscape and fleeting glimpses of impending death – and realistic “documentary” material of his drunken parties, encounters with down-and-out “friends” and run-ins with institutional authorities. The film is strengthened immeasurably by the performances Duffy has drawn from his “actors” – alcoholics who worked closely with him to recreate their own situations. A tightly knit, thought-provoking film which carries a strong emotional impact.