Suze (film)

Suze is a 2023 Canadian comedy-drama film, written and directed by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart. The film stars Michaela Watkins as Suze, a woman whose feelings of empty nest syndrome after her daughter Brooke (Sara Waisglass) moves away to attend university lead her to become a doting mother figure to Brooke's ex-boyfriend Gage (Charlie Gillespie) even though she never liked him at all when he and Brooke were dating.

The cast also includes Aaron Ashmore, Tricia Black, Rainbow Sun Francks, Sandy Jobin-Bevans, E. Fegan DeCordova, Catherine De Seve, Oscar Hsu, Sorika Wolf, Ordena Stephens, Neha Kohli and Ajahnis Charley in supporting roles.

The film entered production in fall 2022 in Hamilton, Ontario.

The film premiered at the 2023 Atlantic International Film Festival on September 16, 2023, and was screened at the 2023 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, and the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival.

Reception
Richard Crouse gave the film three and a half stars and wrote, "Suze is a never-judge-a-book-by-its-cover story, with a few laughs, some earned heartfelt moments and heaps of compassion."

In a positive review, Sarah Gopaul of Digital Journal wrote, "The performances of Watkins and Gillespie are what make this picture sweet rather than an awkward May-December drama."

For Exclaim!, Sarah Regan wrote that "Suze, much like the lesson instilled upon Susan and Gage about faulty first perceptions, should not be judged by its cover; dig deep and viewers will discover a tale of the transformative power of unlikely relationships and connection, and how a shared experience can allow one to rediscover their purpose."

Awards
At Calgary, the film won the Air Canada Award for Best Canadian Narrative Feature, and Gillespie received a special jury citation for his performance.