SIBLINGS is a dark comedy involving an odd group of step brothers and sisters (sharing no blood relation) who, perhaps, by accident become orphaned. The loss of their step parents could be the best thing that ever happened to them. Of course, concealing the death so as to avoid a murder rap proves to be exceedingly difficult.

Director David Weaver and I swapped emails about his film that to me felt in tone a little like HEATHERS (the quintessential dark teen comedy).

"I definitely think it's important in films like this to say some uncomfortable truths (like that everyone's had the thought at least once in their lives that they wouldn't mind knocking off their parents no matter how deeply they may love them)," Weaver said by email, "and to show some things that might even be a tad on the gross side (like when Joe bashes his mom's head in with the tire iron), but it's equally important to know when to pull back. With SIBLINGS there's such a strong basis of love and affection between the kids that I felt we could go right up to that line (and even cross it briefly) a number of times, and yet the feeling the kids have for one another would always pull the film back to a positive place."

SIBLINGS focuses well on the dilemma of the two older children Joe (Alex Campbell) and Margaret (Sarah Gadon) who are still in high school and can't really handle the events that are thrust upon them. You see, through a strange coincidence it might appear to the authorities that Joe had something to do with the step parents' demise. The result is a comical and unnerving trial and error.

Joe and Margaret are typically cynical teens. When the step parents are out of the picture, they must take care of their younger step siblings. The teens aren't quite ready to take over parenting duties. I asked Weaver about the rough language (particularly the prevalent use of the "f" word) used around the youngest children who appear to be 10 years old or younger. Frankly, I had a problem with the language wincing at times.

"Jonathan, I agree with you," Weaver told me, "but the hard fact of how teens speak is that the language is pretty rough at times and I felt that we had to be strictly realistic in that regard. It was important to the film that we felt the two older kids were in over their heads -- that they were doing the best that they could to take care of the younger ones but that they certainly weren't any replacement for real parents. They make mistakes, and one of those is allowing the two younger kids to be too aware of situations they should more properly be shielded from."

Weaver continued.

"As for dealing with the performers themselves, the parents were involved at every step. I deferred to them on all issues involving their children's sensitivity and safety, and there were some points where we did make adjustments based on their concern. Both sets of parents went through the script with Samantha (who plays Danielle) and Andrew (who plays Pete) and made sure that the kids themselves were comfortable with the content and answered any questions they had. As for the actual meaning, I don't always think Andrew and Sam knew exactly what was going -- as much as they wanted to pretend they did (as all kids do)."

The tone of the film aside from being bleak and darkly funny isn't completely unbelievable. Weaver told me about retaining credibility while depicting incredible happenings.

"The film has, I hope, a touch of the fairy tale (the evil stepparents, the woods, etc)," Weaver said, "but I shot it as naturalistically as possible -- particularly in the case of the performances. Jackie May's script was brilliant in keeping the action grounded even as extraordinary events were going on. So while the older kids are carrying around their parents' dead bodies it's easy to forget what's going on because they're squabbling just like two ordinary teenagers.

"I fought all the time with my sister when I was that age, all siblings do, and I think in a strange way that kept the film in realm of the real."

There is a point in SIBLINGS when the littlest child delivers a poem at a Christmas pageant. The poem sums up the feelings of the children dramatically bringing the film into focus when the wheels were about to come off. Weaver told me about shooting that scene that is difficult to watch but very effective.

"Samantha Weinstein is such an extraordinary young actress, and her mother, Jojo, was so supportive and intelligent, that it was surprisingly easy." Weaver said. "Sam had auditioned with the poem, so she knew it well by the time it came time to shoot the scene and had all the beats and emotions involved down flat. We did several takes and I think I used most of the third, but what was most interesting was that there was no sense of trauma for Sam afterwards -- believe me, I was watching -- she was just an ordinary eight-year-old right after, running around and excited to be in a movie.

"I've often said in interviews that working with the younger kids was no different from working with the older actors. They had thoughts and feelings about their characters, we had discussions about those thoughts and feelings, and came to a common place to start the work. All the clichés about working with kids and dogs proved not to be true -- they were virtually the same as the other actors (only smaller).

"I'm pleased you like that scene. It's my favorite, too. For me the whole film is bound up in those few moments -- the humor of it, the pathos, and the sheer disbelief at what's going on...."

Weaver told me what was next on his plate.

"I'm not sure, to be truthful. It's been only 15 months since I read Jackie's script and we started the project, and the film was just completed two weeks ago, so I'm still catching my breath. I might do a feature version of a short film I made in 2000 called MOON PALACE, I've been trying for some time to find financing for a very different film called A SUDDEN DARKNESS, a dark thriller based on true events. Then there's a television series I have in development called FALLEN ANGELS, which pushes a lot of boundaries around issues of sexuality. All of these are close to my heart, but in some ways I still have one foot in the world of the siblings. I love those kids (both real and imagined), and it was a sad day when we finished shooting and I realized they were all going to grow up and move on in their lives. Who knows? Perhaps I'm suffering a little from empty nest syndrome. Maybe I should get a dog."

SIBLINGS made its debut on the festival circuit at the Toronto International Film Festival and can be seen at the Vancouver International Film Festival on September 29th. Hopefully, it will find its way into theaters soon.

Jonathan W. Hickman