Q&A with Graham Foy on April 4 and 5

The fragility and resilience of youth are given an exceptionally original treatment in Graham Foy’s The Maiden, which takes the form of a dreamscape whose gentle rhythms and impressionistic visual approach conceal darker undertones. Colton and his best friend, Kyle, aimlessly traverse the rural environs of their small Alberta town, skateboarding, spray-painting graffiti, and enjoying the simple pleasures of the natural world; their idyll is destroyed when tragedy strikes. Foy converges this narrative in surprising ways with the story of their shy classmate Whitney, who is in the midst of processing new and difficult feelings of rejection. Set in the emotional hinterlands of loss and mourning yet attuned to the beautifully off-kilter cadences of life, The Maiden is a tender, poignant debut feature that communicates oceans of feeling with the lightest of touches.