by MATTHEW HAYS

The nutty ensemble comedy Expecting had its premiere at Montreal’s World Film Festival in August, where it quickly won a following. The film’s premise, about a group of friends gathering around a woman as she prepares to give birth in her Toronto home, sounds like one of those do-or-dire concepts. This movie was either going to stink or swim.

As it turns out, Expecting became one of the most pleasing discoveries of WFF ’02, earning its spot as one of the annual mysterious why-didn’t-this-get-into-the-Toronto-Fest? movies. Though occasionally uneven, director Deborah Day has collected together an energetic ensemble cast, a group of people who bring a good deal of improvisatory gusto to the proceedings.

Valerie Buhagiar plays the pregnant centrepiece of the film (not surprisingly, she was pregnant during the shoot). As she realizes she’s in labour, she proceeds with her plan: to invite all of her dear ones (a lover, former lovers and pals) over to witness this profound moment in her life. Naturally, there are loads of competing egos, with every moment of tenderness balanced out by self-centred acts of bitchiness. I’d like to single out someone here - from Debra McGrath’s overbearing big sis to Barbara Radecki’s chain-smoking control freak - but the cast is universally smart and focused.

What emanates from them is a heartfelt, tender, episodic film. Buhagiar tries desperately to temper and balance the various personalities swimming around her apartment in this time of extreme stress and importance, but to no avail. Egos bruise, tempers break and rivalries flare. Day clearly gave her actors a great deal of rope, and some of them let their characters hang themselves with it. Not everyone in the film is pleasant, but that’s what makes it feel real. People do, after all, sometimes behave egomaniacally, even in the most serious of circumstances.

It’s to Day’s credit that she saw this opportunity, and grabbed onto it. Expecting is good fun, the hard work this crew put into it showing up on screen clearly. Kudos to the World Film Fest for featuring it in their lineup. :

Expecting opens Friday, March 7

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