Ashgrove (film)

Ashgrove is a Canadian drama film, directed by Jeremy LaLonde and released in 2022.[1] The film is set against the context of a global pandemic that has infected the world's water supply, forcing people to strictly ration their water intake; the film centres on Jennifer Ashgrove (Amanda Brugel), a scientist researching the cure for the fungus who is rapidly burning out from the stress, and is forced to take a weekend retreat with her husband Jason (Jonas Chernick) to work on the problems in their relationship that are also contributing to her stress.[2]

The film's cast also includes Shawn Doyle and Natalie Brown as Elliott and Sammy, friends who join Jennifer and Jason on their trip, as well as Christine Horne and Sugith Varughese in supporting roles.

The film concept was conceived before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, although it was shot in September 2020. It was written and produced through an improvisational process, whereby LaLonde and Spencer Giese wrote and edited only a broad story outline, informing Chernick and Brugel about the outline of each scene only as they were about to film it, and the actors had to improvise much of their dialogue based only on their character backgrounds.[3]

The film premiered at the 2022 Glasgow Film Festival,[4] and is slated to have its Canadian premiere at the 2022 Canadian Film Festival.[5]