Anne at 13,000 Ft. is a 2019 Canadian drama film.[1] Directed and written by Kazik Radwanski, the film stars Deragh Campbell as Anne,[2] a shy, socially awkward daycare worker whose attitude to her life and work is radically transformed after she skydives for the first time.[3] It premiered in the Platform Prize program at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival,[4] and received an honourable mention from the Platform Prize jury.[5] In December 2019, the film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list.[6] After premiering on the festival circuit in 2019, the film's 2020 theatrical release was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
The film stars Deragh Campbell as Anne, a shy, socially awkward daycare worker whose attitude to her life and work is radically transformed after she skydives for the first time.[3] Anne goes through the motions of life as a 20-something woman in Toronto, clashes with her co-workers, goes on an awkward Tinder date, and serves as maid of honour at her best friend's wedding. Anne suffers from an unspecified anxiety disorder, which remains undiagnosed throughout the film.[10]
The film received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 89% based on 46 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Held aloft by Deragh Campbell in the title role, Anne at 13,000 Ft tells the soaring story of a woman who's lost her moorings."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17]
Jessica Kiang of Variety called the film "a brief, bracing burst of microbudget indie filmmaking at its most powerful."[10] Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail dubbed it "a startling, bracing achievement worth celebrating."[18] Peter Howell of the Toronto Star praised Campbell's "riveting performance as a woman on the verge of vertigo is a sight to behold."[19] Norm Wilner of Now wrote that "if the Dardenne brothers remade A Woman Under The Influence, it might look a lot like Radwanski’s latest study of a Torontonian in a slow-motion crisis: this time, his protagonist is a young day-care worker whose equilibrium is slipping out of her grasp."[20]
^ abWilner, Norman (2021-03-10). "Toronto critics name Anne At 13,000 Ft. the year's best Canadian film". NOW Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-03-10. Retrieved 2021-03-31. Anne At 13,000 Ft. was scheduled to open in Canadian cinemas on March 20, 2020, only to see that release scuttled when the pandemic shut down the country. The film ultimately debuted on TIFF's streaming platform last month.
