South of The Moon ( 2010 )

SOUTH OF THE MOON is a story about a confused young boy learning to cope with the angst of his fractured family life and the abuse of his alcoholic father as he discovers sex and love for the first time in his life.

Twelve-year-old Coleman Hawkins, an Anglo boy of Irish descent living outside of Montreal, is at the cusp of his sexual awakening.  The only child of a loveless marriage, Coleman is befriended by Michel, a boy his own age who develops a strong physical admiration for Coleman.

Haunted at night by a mysterious woman and distracted during school hours by the beautiful Alexa, Coleman turns to his Uncle Matt for advice and direction.   But Matt Hawkins, an eccentric hard-drinking musician, has his own demons to deal with and Coleman's constant questions trigger vivid memories of lost love and a tormented past.

The beautiful and ethereal Mary McLaughlin seems to reach out from the past as a constant reminder to Matt of what could have been.  She has left an indelible mark on all who met her from Matt, to his long suffering best friend Bob O, and Coleman's parents Margaret and Wendell.  Mary has now insinuated herself into Coleman's psyche.

When Coleman is presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to Vancouver and train with the Canadian Olympic Swim Team, the decision becomes the catalyst that brings the past into a direct collision course with the present as he embarks and has to find his way in his personal quest for love, acceptance and redemption.