Monday Cinema - Thelma

After losing $10,000 to a phone scam, 93-year- old Thelma Post embarks on a quest to reclaim what was stolen from her. Inspired by director Josh Margolin’s real-life experience with his own grandmother, Thelma puts a clever, hilarious spin on the action film genre, positioning an ordinary grandmother as an unlikely action hero.

With the help of her children, friends, and devoted grandson, Thelma warms hearts as she navigates the perils of Los Angeles in search of her money. Thelma is as sweet as she is stubborn, and above all, determined to age with dignity.

Dir: Josh Margolin / Country: USA / Language: English / Duration: 97 minutes / Featuring: June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree / Rating: PG

Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHkm3sCkFF8

99% Rotten Tomatoes

“On paper, Thelma may sound unbearably twee, the kind of film that relies heavily on old people saying the darnedest things to win laughs. But the film is buoyed by a consistently funny script, real pathos and stellar comic performances.” Laura Venning, Empire Magazine

“A tender comedy at heart, Thelma is a delightful romp that focuses on the different textures of the human experience and the poignant (and sometimes very silly) moments that come with it.” Sarah-Tai Black, Globe and Mail

“Writer-director Josh Margolin imagines, quite cleverly, what a “Mission: Impossible” film might look like for a 94-year-old woman, but he doesn’t scrimp on deeper issues either.” Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post

The Monday Cinema series is part of the Toronto International Film Festival Film Circuit and is presented by Trail and District Arts Council at The Royal Theatre, 1597 Bay Avenue, Trail. Film begins at 4:00 pm.

Tickets $13 at tickets.trail-arts.com or call the Box Office at 250-368-9669 Monday to Friday from 12-4 pm.

Only 143 tickets are available for this screening. If tickets are available, they will go on sale at the venue when the doors open 30 minutes before the screening.

Films in the Monday Cinema series this Fall

Thelma: October 7: After losing $10,000 to a phone scam, 93-year- old Thelma Post embarks on a quest to get her money back. A clever, hilarious spin on the action film genre, as Thelma becomes an unlikely action hero in search of her money.

No film Oct. 14.

Ghostlight: October 21: When a melancholic middle-aged construction worker finds himself drifting from his wife and daughter after his son’s suicide, he discovers community and purpose in a local theatre’s production of Romeo and Juliet.

Food Inc. 2: October 28: An engaging sequel to the 2008 Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary, looking at workers’ rights, food sustainability, and innovative farming technologies, showing how current systems have tightened their stronghold on food production and our futures.

The Old Oak - November 4: Ken Loach’s final feature takes place in and around a pub in a northern English village. When a group of Syrian refugees move into the floundering village, local residents, fueled by prejudice, take out their anger and resentment on the community’s newest inhabitants.

No film Nov. 11.

The Great Escaper - November 18: Bernie, a veteran who served in the Second World War, hopes to attend the 70th anniversary of D-Day, but the tours are all booked up. Encouraged by his wife Rene, he decides to make his own way from England to France.

Evil Does Not Exist (foreign language) - November 25: Writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s much anticipated follow-up to the Oscar-winning Drive My Car traces the sensitive dispute between residents of a serene rural village and the city-based talent agency whose proposed plans for a luxury camping site threaten their way of life.

Sing, Sing (TBC) - December 2: Based on the real-life arts rehabilitation programme founded at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, the film follows a troupe of incarcerated actors who work on plays as part of a workshop at the prison. When a new member joins, the group’s dynamic shifts as the men unpack the pain of their experience while undergoing the joy and escape of creativity.

Café Daughter - December 9: Based on the Kenneth T. Williams' play of the same name and inspired by true events, Café Daughter is a coming-of-age story about a young Chinese-Cree girl in Saskatchewan who begins to embrace her Cree identity after a family tragedy.