Magnetosphere
October 20, 2024 7:00 PM
It's 1997. The Hale-Bopp comet is passing by Earth, and Maggie Campion is a kid with a secret. She's always known there’s something different about her: she can see sounds and hear colours, and her senses do all sorts of other unusual things besides. Shy and cautious, Maggie has always kept these things to herself. But when she moves across the country with her family — goofy theatrical dad Russell, pragmatic mom Helen, and mischievous little sister Evie — Maggie’s world is shaken up.
When she starts school and her dad mounts a ramshackle production of "The Pirates of Penzance" at the local theatre, everything changes. Maggie meets several important people: her first love, her first best friend, a teacher who recognizes Maggie’s differences, and the family’s loony handyman-exterminator, Gil, who nurses a formidable hidden talent. Together, these oddball folks will lead Maggie to the realization that her differences have a name — synesthesia. And that with or without it, she’s remarkable.
Cast: Colin Mochrie, Steven He, Patrick McKenna, Tara Strong, Debra McGrath, and Shayelin Martin.
Directors Statement
"Magnetosphere" is a comedy about a 13-year-old girl with a neurological condition called synesthesia. I believe it is the first-ever family film to place synesthesia at the center of a story. As a young child, I experienced synesthesia myself, which indirectly set me on the path to making this movie. In making "Magnetosphere," I wanted to highlight both synesthesia specifically, and, more generally, neurodivergent girls, who are underrepresented in media. I hope you enjoy the humour, warmth and heart of this film as much as I enjoyed directing it. - Nicola Rose