Hello Destroyer
2016·Drama·1h 50m
7.0
★
A young junior hockey player's life is shattered by an in-game act of violence. In an instant his life is abruptly turned upside down; torn from the fraternity of the team and the coinciding position of prominence, he is cast as a pariah and ostracized from the community. As he struggles with the repercussions of the event, desperate to find a means of reconciliation and a sense of identity, his personal journey ends up illuminating troubling systemic issues around violence.
Directed by Kevan Funk
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Jared Abrahamson
Tyson Burr
Paul McGillion
Ron Burr
Ian Tracey
Coach Aaron Weller
Kurt Max Runte
Coach Dale Milbury
Sara Canning
Wendy Davis
Ben Cotton
Bill Davis
Michael Kopsa
Judge
Philip Prajoux
Derek Eaton
Darren Mann
Brendan Schultz
Nels Lennarson
Chief's Coach
Michael St. John Smith
Mr. Howard
Maxwell Haynes
Cody MacKenzie
Crew
Benjamin Loeb
Director of Photography
Edo van Breemen
Music
Popular Reviews
2 reviews
Jean Hachuré-Siete
2.0★ · 03/31/26
Yeah let’s add zero dialogue and shoot everything in the fucking dark
Yeah let’s add zero dialogue and shoot everything in the fucking dark
Cierra
After the screening I saw of HELLO DESTROYER at TIFF, the director, Kevan Funk (and many of the cast, crew, and producers) spoke afterwards. What I most wanted to hear was about this movie and its relation to Canada. A Canadian film about hockey cannot escape without either being, A) Extremely patriotic, or B) Providing a commentary about life in Canada. And being a dark film that focuses on the savagely violent side of hockey culture, HELLO DESTROYER proudly takes on the latter conversation. And who better to start the conversation than the filmmaker?
What stood out to me most was when Kevan Funk said, “I wanted to make a film that was aggressively Canadian.” This wording is perfect. HELLO DESTROYER is a brutal, brutal movie, and it’s honest and it’s Canadian, and these elements seldom come together. Funk succeeded in his goal of showing a violent side of Canada, and it makes sense that the brutality these boys experience escapes so many eyes; it’s hiding behind a full contact and aggressive sport. Hockey as we watch it is the violence we know in Canada, it’s seen as our one release from the polite, friendly stereotype we dawn, but it’s good to dig deeper into the real shit that exist underneath the sport, as Funk did with HELLO DESTROYER.
We follow Tyson Burr’s story in the movie. It’s extremely brutal and it’s hard to watch this kid suffer. The story takes on two acts, the first being the start of a darker sports movie, the second being the falling out and the aftermath that befalls Tyson. What I took away from Tyson Burr’s story, other than sadness for him and boys that are out there like him, was that it exists in such a Canadian way. This isn’t an American story, or a generalized sports story, this belongs to Canada and it’s done in a way I’ve never seen before in its brutality and honesty. Because of this (I have so much love for my country and when it gets to represent itself, especially in a movie) HELLO DESTROYER will resonate with me for a very long time.
What stood out to me most was when Kevan Funk said, “I wanted to make a film that was aggressively Canadian.” This wording is perfect. HELLO DESTROYER is a brutal, brutal movie, and it’s honest and it’s Canadian, and these elements seldom come together. Funk succeeded in his goal of showing a violent side of Canada, and it makes sense that the brutality these boys experience escapes so many eyes; it’s hiding behind a full contact and aggressive sport. Hockey as we watch it is the violence we know in Canada, it’s seen as our one release from the polite, friendly stereotype we dawn, but it’s good to dig deeper into the real shit that exist underneath the sport, as Funk did with HELLO DESTROYER.
We follow Tyson Burr’s story in the movie. It’s extremely brutal and it’s hard to watch this kid suffer. The story takes on two acts, the first being the start of a darker sports movie, the second being the falling out and the aftermath that befalls Tyson. What I took away from Tyson Burr’s story, other than sadness for him and boys that are out there like him, was that it exists in such a Canadian way. This isn’t an American story, or a generalized sports story, this belongs to Canada and it’s done in a way I’ve never seen before in its brutality and honesty. Because of this (I have so much love for my country and when it gets to represent itself, especially in a movie) HELLO DESTROYER will resonate with me for a very long time.
After the screening I saw of HELLO DESTROYER at TIFF, the director, Kevan Funk (and many of the cast, crew, and producers) spoke afterwards. What I most wanted to hear was about this movie and its relation to Canada. A Canadian film about hockey cannot escape without either being, A) Extremely patriotic, or B) Providing a commentary about life in Canada. And being a dark film that focuses on the savagely violent side of hockey culture, HELLO DESTROYER proudly takes on the latter conversation. And who better to start the conversation than the filmmaker?
What stood out to me most was when Kevan Funk said, “I wanted to make a film that was aggressively Canadian.” This wording is perfect. HELLO DESTROYER is a brutal, brutal movie, and it’s honest and it’s Canadian, and these elements seldom come together. Funk succeeded in his goal of showing a violent side of Canada, and it makes sense that the brutality these boys experience escapes so many eyes; it’s hiding behind a full contact and aggressive sport. Hockey as we watch it is the violence we know in Canada, it’s seen as our one release from the polite, friendly stereotype we dawn, but it’s good to dig deeper into the real shit that exist underneath the sport, as Funk did with HELLO DESTROYER.
We follow Tyson Burr’s story in the movie. It’s extremely brutal and it’s hard to watch this kid suffer. The story takes on two acts, the first being the start of a darker sports movie, the second being the falling out and the aftermath that befalls Tyson. What I took away from Tyson Burr’s story, other than sadness for him and boys that are out there like him, was that it exists in such a Canadian way. This isn’t an American story, or a generalized sports story, this belongs to Canada and it’s done in a way I’ve never seen before in its brutality and honesty. Because of this (I have so much love for my country and when it gets to represent itself, especially in a movie) HELLO DESTROYER will resonate with me for a very long time.
What stood out to me most was when Kevan Funk said, “I wanted to make a film that was aggressively Canadian.” This wording is perfect. HELLO DESTROYER is a brutal, brutal movie, and it’s honest and it’s Canadian, and these elements seldom come together. Funk succeeded in his goal of showing a violent side of Canada, and it makes sense that the brutality these boys experience escapes so many eyes; it’s hiding behind a full contact and aggressive sport. Hockey as we watch it is the violence we know in Canada, it’s seen as our one release from the polite, friendly stereotype we dawn, but it’s good to dig deeper into the real shit that exist underneath the sport, as Funk did with HELLO DESTROYER.
We follow Tyson Burr’s story in the movie. It’s extremely brutal and it’s hard to watch this kid suffer. The story takes on two acts, the first being the start of a darker sports movie, the second being the falling out and the aftermath that befalls Tyson. What I took away from Tyson Burr’s story, other than sadness for him and boys that are out there like him, was that it exists in such a Canadian way. This isn’t an American story, or a generalized sports story, this belongs to Canada and it’s done in a way I’ve never seen before in its brutality and honesty. Because of this (I have so much love for my country and when it gets to represent itself, especially in a movie) HELLO DESTROYER will resonate with me for a very long time.
Shak Lambert
3.8★ · 09/11/16
I get what the movie was trying to do, but man, this movie feels twice as long as it needs to be. and it's 110 minutes. The lead actor gave a solid performance, though.
I get what the movie was trying to do, but man, this movie feels twice as long as it needs to be. and it's 110 minutes. The lead actor gave a solid performance, though.