Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story

Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story is a 2002 Canadian drama television film directed by John L'Ecuyer, based on a true story about Jonathan Wamback, who was beaten by a group of teenagers and left to die just minutes from his Newmarket home in 1999.[1] The film stars Tyler Hynes, Christopher Jacot, Ron White, Marnie McPhail, Janet-Laine Green, and Charlotte Sullivan.

Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story
GenreDrama
Written by
  • Michael Amo
  • Elizabeth Stewart
Directed byJohn L'Ecuyer
Starring
Music byMark Korven
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerMary Young Leckie
ProducerHeather Haldane
CinematographyMichael Storey
EditorJeff Warren
Running time120 minutes
Production companies
DistributorAlliance Atlantis
Release
Original networkCTV Television Network
Original release
  • March 11, 2002 (2002-03-11)

Plot

Jonathan Wamback starts his daily jog through the streets of his suburban neighborhood. During his run, he catches the eye of Courtney Henderson. Shortly after, Jonathan and his best friend Toby start their first day of high school, where Jonathan notices Courtney again. As the boys are waiting to register for class, four members of a high school gang, Kyle Simpson, Donald Glover, Trevor Smith, and Ben Luekens make a noisy entrance. They waste no time ganging up on a small grade nine student, mocking and bullying him. Jonathan tries to intervene and quickly makes an enemy of gang leader Kyle.

Intrigued by Jonathan's moxie, tough girl Courtney leads him away, both intriguing Jon and angering Kyle. Unbeknownst to Jonathan, Courtney is actually Kyle's girlfriend. Returning home from a workout, Lozanne Wamback, Jonathan's mom, encounters the gang members lighting cherry bombs in the park and harassing some small children. Angered, she follows Kyle home and attempts to speak to his mother about his behaviour. However, Nora Simpson refuses to believe what Lozanne said about her son and brushes her off. Lozanne tells Jon and her husband Joe about the incident, but Joe is too busy to listen and dismisses her concerns, saying that she's taking it too seriously.

Jonathan is approached by Gord Nelson and Jeff Walters, two cool guys who claim to be forming a group to stand up to Kyle's gang. Together, they come across a Skulls tag (graffiti) spray-painted on a warehouse wall. Jon impresses them when he climbs up and spray-paints over it, turning it into an image of the iconic Arthurian "sword in the stone". They notify him that by doing so he's effectively declaring war on the Skulls gang. To make things worse, Gord has painted racist remarks over a Skulls tag in the park washroom and the gang jumps to the conclusion that it was written by Jon. In response, the gang lures Jon to a park using a phone call from Courtney. Jon tries to escape by scaling a fence, only to have the boys attack him and beat him so severely that he winds up heavily disabled and on life support.

Lozanne and Joe establish a routine of daily care - participating in his physical therapy, washing and tending his broken body, talking to him even though he doesn't appear to hear. Their love for Jonathan and complete dedication to helping him recuperate slowly starts to heal their fragile relationship. As Jon slowly starts to emerge from his coma, Joe lobbies to have the Young Offenders Act rewritten to impose harsher penalties for violent crime.

Gord visits Jon for the first time since the attack and the truth emerges that he wrote the slur that incited the near-fatal beating. Finally, Jon decides to return to school to prove that despite everything, he's no longer a victim. Upon his arrival Kyle and other students are shocked at the reality of the physical damage inflicted upon Jon.

Cast

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2002 17th Gemini Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series Tyler Hynes Nominated
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series Ron White Nominated
Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series Michael Amo
Elizabeth Stewart		 Nominated
Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series Jeff Warren Nominated
Best Sound in a Dramatic Program Herwig Gayer
Michael Baskerville
Barry Gilmore
Steve Hammond
Jamie Sulek
Wayne Swingle		 Nominated
2003 24th Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Leading Young Actor Tyler Hynes Nominated

References
  1. Baute, Nicole (29 June 2009). "Decade later, teen left to die fights the pain". Toronto Star. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
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