September 11, 2026
FILM: SALVATION
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY TOM NICOLL
STARRING: LIAM HARKINS, STEPHEN MCMILLAN, KATHLEEN MCDERMOTT
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There is a world out there of people selling dreams. You know, schemes that will promise to change your life and make you lots of money? When I was young, one of those was Tupperware. The summer after I graduated college I needed money fast so that I could travel across the country with my friend Ron. Selling Tupperware (a lot of plastic containers, kitchen supplies, etc.) was supposed to change my life quickly. Needless to say, it didn’t happen (except I did end up with some Tupperware of my own!)
At the start of the new film Salvation, Danny Carlton is taking a one week course which will certify him to be a life coach. If you’re unfamiliar with it, people exiting the program are now qualified to help clients build better lives. Almost immediately Danny is making videos and creating merchandise to promote his services. Things initially start well with a twenty-two-year old client named Scott who is struggling to find his own way in life. Danny gives him hope and encouragement. Soon Danny gets other clients and holds group sessions. But the business he has started begins having troubles, not the least of which is generating enough money for Danny to live and pay off debts. Eventually, Danny becomes desperate and begins breaking all sorts of ethical and legal boundaries. His life spirals out of control.
One of the questions to consider is if this is Danny’s fault or that of the program which promised him an income and career after a very short training period. We see others who have been through the training and they are in fact doing well. Perhaps Danny wasn’t the right person for the program or something about it didn’t prepare him for what might lay ahead for someone like him.
One could look at the film then as a possible indictment on such programs, of which there are many. Even here on Substack, there are plenty of writers and content creators offering workshops and specific how-to plans to build other readers’ profiles and success rates. Some are no doubt legitimate but are they all? How can one know?
In the case of Danny, he begins manipulating Scott by inviting him to stay in his home, and even worming his way into Scott’s rich parents’ house. Scott, as a character, is nervous and unsettled. He’s an easy target to be used. Clearly, the lure of money Danny believes he was promised leads him in directions that go counter to any good his training may have taken him.
This is the first feature from writer/director Tom Nicol who does a very impressive job of building these characters and their circumstances. His camera work is purposely shaky, suggesting the uncertainty surrounding everything Danny and Scott are doing. He also employs a lot of close-ups which keep us intimately connected to the characters’ emotional states. Credit must certainly also be given to the actors. Liam Harkins is perfect for the role of Danny. He looks and sounds confident, at least at first, and we believe his initial plans. Slowly he reveals the cracks though as his dreams begin to shatter. Also excellent is Stephen McMillan as Scott. We feel his lack of self-assuredness and vulnerability, especially in relation to his domineering father. Each of his moments on screen reveals the character’s depth and despair. It’s an emotional, star-making performance.
There’s a lot to be gained from a film like this. It clearly offers caution to anyone trying to make money quick by following supposed do-gooders. It also questions whether it is a teacher’s responsibility to continue helping their students even after they’ve left the classroom. If not, are they simply selling something and then running with the money? Unfortunately, legitimate businesses and schemes may be tough to vet if one is as desperate as Danny and Scott.
Salvation is premiering this week at the Toronto International Film Festival.
FILM: SALVATION
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY TOM NICOLL
STARRING: LIAM HARKINS, STEPHEN MCMILLAN, KATHLEEN MCDERMOTT
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There is a world out there of people selling dreams. You know, schemes that will promise to change your life and make you lots of money? When I was young, one of those was Tupperware. The summer after I graduated college I needed money fast so that I could travel across the country with my friend Ron. Selling Tupperware (a lot of plastic containers, kitchen supplies, etc.) was supposed to change my life quickly. Needless to say, it didn’t happen (except I did end up with some Tupperware of my own!)
At the start of the new film Salvation, Danny Carlton is taking a one week course which will certify him to be a life coach. If you’re unfamiliar with it, people exiting the program are now qualified to help clients build better lives. Almost immediately Danny is making videos and creating merchandise to promote his services. Things initially start well with a twenty-two-year old client named Scott who is struggling to find his own way in life. Danny gives him hope and encouragement. Soon Danny gets other clients and holds group sessions. But the business he has started begins having troubles, not the least of which is generating enough money for Danny to live and pay off debts. Eventually, Danny becomes desperate and begins breaking all sorts of ethical and legal boundaries. His life spirals out of control.
One of the questions to consider is if this is Danny’s fault or that of the program which promised him an income and career after a very short training period. We see others who have been through the training and they are in fact doing well. Perhaps Danny wasn’t the right person for the program or something about it didn’t prepare him for what might lay ahead for someone like him.
One could look at the film then as a possible indictment on such programs, of which there are many. Even here on Substack, there are plenty of writers and content creators offering workshops and specific how-to plans to build other readers’ profiles and success rates. Some are no doubt legitimate but are they all? How can one know?
In the case of Danny, he begins manipulating Scott by inviting him to stay in his home, and even worming his way into Scott’s rich parents’ house. Scott, as a character, is nervous and unsettled. He’s an easy target to be used. Clearly, the lure of money Danny believes he was promised leads him in directions that go counter to any good his training may have taken him.
This is the first feature from writer/director Tom Nicol who does a very impressive job of building these characters and their circumstances. His camera work is purposely shaky, suggesting the uncertainty surrounding everything Danny and Scott are doing. He also employs a lot of close-ups which keep us intimately connected to the characters’ emotional states. Credit must certainly also be given to the actors. Liam Harkins is perfect for the role of Danny. He looks and sounds confident, at least at first, and we believe his initial plans. Slowly he reveals the cracks though as his dreams begin to shatter. Also excellent is Stephen McMillan as Scott. We feel his lack of self-assuredness and vulnerability, especially in relation to his domineering father. Each of his moments on screen reveals the character’s depth and despair. It’s an emotional, star-making performance.
There’s a lot to be gained from a film like this. It clearly offers caution to anyone trying to make money quick by following supposed do-gooders. It also questions whether it is a teacher’s responsibility to continue helping their students even after they’ve left the classroom. If not, are they simply selling something and then running with the money? Unfortunately, legitimate businesses and schemes may be tough to vet if one is as desperate as Danny and Scott.
Salvation is premiering this week at the Toronto International Film Festival.