Part fairy tale, part adventure story, and part coming-of-age testimonial.
Logline: When a small Canadian island declares its independence to the world, and anarchy reigns, a young boy must endure a betrayal by his own father, a mother with powerful dreams, and a love interest drawn to the peace movement, all while trying to save his beloved island. Synopsis: In 1950’s Canada, on Whalebone Island, EVERETT MCQUADE commemorates the birth of his son IAN by declaring the independence of his island, the Republic of Nothing. It’s an eccentric and quaint place where elephants drift ashore, and old Vikings are buried under the land – but that’s a secret only they know. Ian grows up learning about anarchy and love for his island from his dad, while his mom DOROTHY – whom Everett rescued as a young woman from the ocean – teaches him about dreams and the stars. Years pass, and in the 1960’s, the influence of the outside world hits the island. Children are forced to go to school, including Ian, his younger sister CASEY, and Ian’s friend and unrequited love interest, GWEN. During this time, Everett is asked to participate in politics, and he’s swept up by these ideas, and leaves his family behind, with promises of coming back to them soon, and helping their cause. But friction between them soon arises, and Ian can’t just stand there and take it. With Everett gone, Ian gets closer to his mom, who needs help as she’s suffering from strange dreams that try to help her discover the truth about where she came from. Her dreams come to life via magical realism, but it all seems like too much for her to endure, and she ends up needing medication to cope. Everett being gone certainly doesn’t help. At the same time, Ian continues to be drawn to the same girl from his childhood – Gwen. But Gwen has bigger aspirations, and despite loving Ian, she’s not in love with him. She ends up getting pregnant by another guy, and it’s Ian who helps her get an abortion, and then also defends her at a peace rally that turns violent. Gwen ultimately leaves to join the peace movement, but keeps coming back to get Ian’s help for those seeking refuge from the war. The Vietnam War, the peace movement, and the discovery of uranium mining on the island wreak havoc on Ian’s once peaceful escape from the world. He’s had enough, and wants to fight back. He goes to his father for immediate help, but Everett promises that if he wins the party nomination and is reelected, then he can help, once again disappointing Ian. As the family watches the party convention on TV, they see Everett getting shot. They rush to the hospital, and Dorothy can’t take the stress. She overdoses on Valium as Everett is dying, promising to bring him back to life. In a great magical realism-inspired moment, Dorothy saves Everett while in the real-world doctors fight to get them back. In a miraculous moment, they both survive. With Everett back on the island, Ian and he fight for their independence, using the Viking discovery from Ian’s childhood to prevent the drilling for uranium, but in the fight, Everett dies. Ian takes charge of the island, with Dorothy now at peace after having remembered everything about her past. It’s now Ian’s destiny to care for his beloved island.