By Jorge Ignacio Castillo

The Other Half is an intense drama starring Tom Cullen and Tatiana Maslany that follows two damaged people as they find their way to each other: One is a surly expat grief-stricken over his brother’s disappearance. The other one is a bipolar artist as compelling as troubled.

Despite a number of red flags, the two embark in a codependent relationship more resilient than anybody could have anticipated.

The Other Half is a ballsy film: It remains true to its characters, as difficult as they are. It nails bipolar disorder by keeping it grounded and renouncing to the hysterics American movies tend to use when depicting the condition.

The Other Half is Joey Klein first feature as writer/director. Up to now Klein was better known as a character actor. You may remember him for his stint as Dr. Jonathan Lyle in the CBC series This Life.

The Canadian Crew talked to Joey Klein about the film and how he convinced the very accomplished cast (including Maslany, Cullen, Henry Czerny and Suzanne Clément) to join him in this effort.