A marriage unravels under the weight of shared trauma in Blueberry Grunt, the highly anticipated new film from Newfoundland director Sherry White. The drama premieres Sept. 11 at the Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax. The story follows a couple on their anniversary camping trip - a blueberry-picking tradition that turns into a fight for survival. “They’ve been dealing with a bit of an issue in their family and they’re, over the course of this camping trip, you see that they have very different ways of coping and dealing,” said White in an interview with CTV Atlantic’s Katie Kelly. “And so it kind of all comes to a head.” Newfoundland actor Joel Thomas Hynes stars as Harold Whittle. “He just tries to get through the world with a little bit of song and dance,” said Hynes. “And gradually, as the story unfolds, he can’t keep that up anymore. And everything comes falling down around him and his wife.” The film was shot across Newfoundland, including on White’s own property. “I shot like a bunch of it actually in my backyard, in my house, like the animals that are in the film are my animals,” said White. Hynes praises the film in many ways. “All the performances are very honest and grounded,” said Hynes. “I think it’s a wonderful, unique piece of writing. I think the comedy in there is very subtle and particular. And visually it’s gorgeous.” “I’m hoping that people go through all the feels with me in it and that people are, you know, walk away going, I think it’s better to kind of find the joy in life than to wallow in the sadness,” said White. Blueberry Grunt is White’s follow-up to her acclaimed 2016 film Maudie, which starred Ethan Hawke and Sally Hawkins.
