Victoria Day exists as a snippet of life. It’s the story you tell family and friends about the event that changed you, and turned you into an adult. With that comes the simplicity of these stories. The tale of anyone’s transition to adulthood is not a glamorous Hollywood blockbuster. Most of us lost a friend, came to grips with our parents as people, had our heart broken, or faced other similarly banal situations. David Bezmozgis’ film is that story for one young man.
Ben Spektor is enjoying his life as a young adult in 1988. He’s a star player on the high school hockey team, the next Gretsky if his father has anything to say about it. Jordan Chapman is Ben’s teammate, and perpetual tormentor. While out catching a Bob Dylan concert Ben runs into Jordan, who needs five bucks to buy some drugs. Ben hands over the cash and walks away. From then on we watch as Ben deals with the aftermath of Jordan’s disappearance. It turns out Ben was the last person, at least of those who knew Jordan, to see the young man before he disappeared. The situation is made all the more awkward when Ben starts a tentative relationship with Cayla, Jordan’s younger sister.
Victoria Day has a literary quality about it, as if someone is reading a book to you by using pictures. It is also a simple story that has grand implications for the people involved. The film is everyone’s story about what happened to make them the person they are today. Ben finds himself looking for Jordan with more anxiety than even he anticipated. In doing so Ben begins to discover what it is to not live in your own adolescent head, where the troubles of the world don’t matter.
