A great favorite of mine when I caught it at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, Dylan Akio Smith's Big Head is, in my opinion, one of the more glaring omissions from TIFF's recently announced Canada's Top Ten list. A sharply observed, bleak piece of absurdist comedy, the film revolves around a young boy with an unusual problem:
Blessed with a very strong script, an even stronger young cast and a director who understands that absurdism works best when rooted in something very real, this is one of the strongest films of any length, from any country, that I've seen this year. And now you can see a slice for yourself: We've got a key scene embedded below.Childhood isn't easy and, in the case of 10 year-old Billy (aka Big Head), it's made no easier by an unusually large head. Inspired by a fellow student's success with rhinoplasty, Billy seeks the aid of a plastic surgeon to solve his problems, but learns that he will have to take matters into his own hands. Big Head is a dark comedy about childhood, plastic surgery and self-acceptance.
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