Saint Ralph

This Canadian-made comedy-drama unfolds in 1954 Hamilton, Ontario, tracing a tender, at times goofy journey that grows increasingly poignant as the minutes pass. It tells the fictional story of a wayward ninth-grader, Ralph (Adam Butcher), who secretly lives on his own while his widowed mother lies hospitalized and in a coma. Frequently at odds with Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent), the principal of his all-boys Catholic school, Ralph is treated as a joke by his peers until he resolves to pull off a miracle that could save his mother—winning the Boston Marathon. Coached by a younger priest and former runner, Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott), whose cynicism is softened by the boy’s pure hope, Ralph commits to this unlikely mission, fending off naysayers and receiving help along a challenging path from sundry allies and friends.