Kire Paputts’ The Last Porno Show — a welcome follow-up to his debut, the 2015 TIFF hit The Rainbow Kid — introduces us to Wayne (Nathaniel Chadwick), a struggling actor who was traumatized as a child while living with his father Al (Christian Aldo), whom he hasn’t seen in years. Now a bit of an emotional mess, Wayne is seriously uninterested when a lawyer tells him Al has died and left him his proudest possession: the decaying porn cinema they used to live above. Initially Wayne wants to sell it but he’s also pursuing a part in a movie, and realizes his memories of Al and their life together may help with the role. But, as someone tells Wayne, “That’s the thing about memories; they get weird” — and soon Wayne’s part and his painful past threaten to consume him.

Outrageous and funny, raunchy and raw,The Last Porno Showis also a tortured, heartfelt exploration of loss. The trauma isn’t just Wayne’s, but the city’s as well. Like much gentrification, the loss of the cinema (and the apartments above it) threatens to wreak havoc on its small, rundown neighbourhood.

Packed with very specific Toronto references,The Last Porno Showconjures the city, pre–condo craze. At times, it’s like a rewardingly weird merger ofI Love a Man in a Uniform and Drying Up the Streets. It’s also a reminder that love and compassion can happen in the unlikeliest and seediest places.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW

Well, this was sort of a surprise. I was expecting something quite lackluster and was pleasantly surprised at the complex story line. Right from the start with a gentleman beating his meat in the front row of the theatre, to the penis coming through the gloryhole with a kid on the other side, this is definitely not for the PC crowd.

When porn theatre owner Al dies, he leaves the business to his son Wayne, who reluctantly takes it, not knowing what to do with it. He decides to sell it off, then meets some of the regular patrons, employees of the theatre, and tenants who live above. He also discovers some old porn reels that have his father in them, which suddenly changes his mind, and image. It’s as if Al was reincarnated.

Wayne continues running the business as he thought Al had, all the while not realizing that his childhood would literally be flashing before his eyes. Being raised to use a viewfinder while his father watched porn, subsided all the true past memories that were hidden deep within.

A complex tale of events, with quite a dark, and sometimes creepy, plot. In the end, no one got hurt, and everyone got off!

Kire Paputts was born in Toronto and studied film at Ryerson University. His directorial credits include the short film Animal Control (10) and the fiction feature The Rainbow Kid (15), both of which played the Festival. The Last Porno Show (19) is his latest film.

TIFF Screenings:

Sept 10, 9PM, Scotiabank Theatre

After Party at Super Wonder Gallery – 584 College Street, Toronto

Join the cast and crew for drinks, music, fun, and glory holes after the world premiere. DJ Swankenstein will be spinning vinyl all night.

Sept 12, 9PM, Jackman Hall

Sept 13, 330PM, Scotiabank Theatre

 Tickets

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.