Mr. Davidson, how did the story of "The Odds" appear actually?
Everything
started from an article I read several years ago – about 17-year high
school students in Singapore, infatuated with illegal betting (in their
case: for the games of NBA) and about the problems one of the boys
encountered thanks to his addicition... But the story is also connected
with my own teenage years, when I was 17 or maybe even 16. I myself come
from a small town in Western part of Canada (we have probably the
youngest community in the world) and when I was at that age, there were
not many options for having a good time. So, we had everything, but we
felt bored. We caused havoc, crushed cars, etc. By the moment I was
caught by the police (I think I had just turned 17)... And from that
moment my life took another direction. This short period of hooliganism,
though, left its imprint on me at a subconscious level. And when, after
so many years, I read that article about those guys in Singapore,
something prompted me to tell my own story. Of course, this film is not
autobiographical, but largely reflects the way we experienced the world
as teenagers... So, I began to explore the gambling world of young
people which is a huge subculture in North America, including Vancouver,
where I live.
Perhaps intentionally it is not clear
where the action takes place – in a large or small town. I do not know
if this is important for the story, but is it your native city or some
particular neighborhood of Vancouver?
Hmm. Interesting. I
have not tried to depict a particular city, but the vision is a typical
Vancouver – Western part of the city and the city center with the
Chinese restaurants. A hundred percent of Vancouver.
Read the whole interview on SIFF's website.