Movie Review: The Night the Kids Found Out
On March 25th, I had the pleasure of attending the advanced screening of The Night the Kids Found Out, a short film created by Ryerson University RTA School of Media students for their practicum project.
When I arrived at the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, I had no idea what to expect. I had only watched the trailer and seen the event’s marketing through the film’s various social media accounts. Guests were encouraged to dress up in prom attire to match the theme of the movie so walking in was like flashing back to prom with the sea of dresses, ties, and suits around me. They even had a cute photo booth set up for people to take candid pictures with their friends. It was incredible to see the number of people who showed up to support the film; the theatre was full of the cast, crew, family, friends, and fans all decked out in their formal best. We were greeted by the crew at the door who were beaming with excitement to share their film.
The Night The Kids Found Out is a 40-minute teenage thriller, following a prom committee comprised of very different students from your typical high school cliques. They come together as they try to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of one of their classmates, Hunter Bishop, but they end up getting in over their heads as tensions build. Common Mag’s own Taelor Lewis starred in this story of mystery, friendship, changing and growing up, concluding in a cliff-hanger ending that was the perfect balance of closure and suspense.
The director, Iris Kim, was joined by other film executives in a post-screening Q&A to discuss their time working on the film. They shared that a lot of their inspirations came from horror movies from the 1980s, also agreeing that the film could be seen as “Riverdale meets Stranger Things."
It is incredible to see the quality of content students can create in just over a year. From planning and scheduling, all the way through to shooting and editing, media students are proving that they can take all the tools they’ve learned throughout their undergrad and put it all together to craft creative projects.
The Night The Kids Found Out and the team behind it deserves recognition for its achievements and creative ingenuity. I highly recommend seeing the film if you have the chance and giving them a follow on social media (@tntkfo) to keep up to date on their journey.
