“It’s about loving somebody for who they are, no matter their gender. The story of these two girls is about a friendship that becomes more and more intense. I think Tory wants Paulie because she’s her best friend and she’s totally devoted to her.”
Paré’s character, Tory, is a little more susceptible to reason as an antidote to passion and this compels her to consider the consequences of a lesbian relationship. She is subject to the pressure of her family and school environment, refusing to pursue the relationship further. Deferring to these stresses, she falls in love with Jake, a student at nearby boys’ school.
The subject matter of the film has potential to engender controversy, a prospect Paré recognizes, saying, “It might be a little controversial because the girls are so young, but the story is certainly accessible to everyone.”
Barely out of high school, the native Montrealer has already won notice for her work in the films, En Vacances, from director Yves Hanchar, and Denys Arcand’s Stardom, where she played the lead, and which closed the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. Among her other films was a role in Robert Lepage’s Possible Worlds.
She has studied drama at Villa Maria High School and TheatreWorks, and has appeared on the stage in several of their productions.
(taken from the Lions Gate Films press kit, 2001)
update from A Tribute to Lost and Delirious, Stef:
Since Lost and
Delirious Jessica Paré acted in several TV productions/ series (Random
Passage, Napoléon and The Death and Life of Nacy Eaton) and took part
in the movies Bollywood/Hollywood, Posers, Wicker Park and See This Movie).