It’s hard to make any fun of “What Doesn’t Kill You” director Brian Goodman; the guy went through hell and back like most fierce addicts, but you can see some of the 12-stepper stuff we’re talking about in our review. He’s been sober for 12 years, but he clearly still sees everyday as a gift. Our camera was dying of its juice, but we got a few short parts of the Q&A.
The film got a standing ovation afterwards and Goodman had to pull himself together he was so moved. The joke however, that me and my Toronto friends have being that T.O audiences will adore anything if the actual players are in attendance. Toronto crowds, much like Canadians, are nice and tend to go pretty easy on films and love everything. That’s not to discredit, Goodman’s work, it’s just an observation that even the homegrown folks know of. We’re not sure if they’re in either clip, but Ruffalo and Hawke, both exchanged pretty tearful, but triumphant hugs with Goodman during his applause. Clearly this guys been through a ton of shit and people like Hawke and Ruffalo – people that the filmmaker now considers friends – seem to understand his hell pretty vividly. Good said ‘Kill’ was eight years in the making and started when he showed Ruffalo a script he was making when they both worked on a Rod Lurie film years ago.
