Daddy Issues, made its Canadian premiere at last year’s Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival. Now it’s getting a theatrical and VOD release. Maya (Madison Lawlor) spends her days escaping into her drawings and social media, where she cyberstalks the enigmatic Jasmine (Montana Manning), an aspiring sexually-fluid designer in an emotionally charged, co-dependent relationship with neurotic sugar daddy, Simon (Andrew Pifko). Maya has aspirations to go to Italy to study art, which her mother and step-father are strongly opposed to.

When Maya and Jasmine’s paths finally cross, the two embark on a romantic relationship that provides Maya her dream of first love, and Jasmine the inspiration she needs to jump start her career. A bizarre love triangle soon emerges, however, and we learn that Maya and Simon have more in common than merely their love for Jasmine. What started as a dream come true turns into a beautiful nightmare.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW

This film moves along slowly with not much to keep one’s attention. The acting is mediocre at best, and the story line almost non-existent, jumping from one scene to the next without much continuity or connectivity. The whole “daddy issue” syndrome is a thing in the world of fetishism and role playing, but to encompass this as a full feature movie fails miserably. One memorable segment is where Jasmine and Maya chat about how they identify, with Maya believing she is queer or gay, and Jasmine simply stating, I’m American. Other than that, it’s best to keep the daddy issues between the players, and not on the big screen for all to see.

Directed by Amara Cash. Andrew Pifko was nominated for “Best Lead Actor” at the Nice, France International Film Festival, and won in the same category at the NoVa Film Festival in Virginia.

In select theatres April 19, 209 for one week only, or order on iTunes

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.