With his world sent spinning off its axis by the tragic death of his mother (Neve Campbell), Henry (Hereditary’s Alex Wolff) becomes enthralled with Ana (Imogen Poots), a new neighbour with old drug habits that are dying hard. Encountering one another at complementary stages of dire need, they find solace in each other’s company and sweet release in the warm embrace of narcotics. But, much like the spectre of Henry’s late mother looming large, figures (Keir Gilchrist and Tom Cullen) from Ana’s troubled past also have a habit of reappearing and dragging Ana back into Sudbury’s seedy underworld.

As Henry gets caught in the crossfire of Southern Ontario’s opioid epidemic, Joey Klein (The Other Half) demonstrates a deft hand in crafting unusual character dynamics (Henry and Ana’s codependent bond is more Oedipal than overtly romantic) and subverting crime-drama conventions. In turn, this unpredictable, unflinchingly honest film proves adept at both seducing viewers and locking them in a stranglehold.

“Castle in the Ground filters a conventional addiction narrative through layers of grief, attachment and atonement, and Klein – an actor himself – lets his cast play those notes fully… You’ll feel for all of them.” – Norman Wilner, NOW