Michael: Every Day 2011

Michael and David have been seeing each other, professionally, twice a week for 15 years. They’re making progress. Dr. David Storper is a psychiatrist specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy. Translation: David and Michael venture out of the office to engage in real-life exercises designed to conquer specific fears. Michael is David’s most challenging patient. He is wracked by a litany of anxieties centered round the most mundane things – cats, buses, strangers, bridges, girls. He’s 30. No one knows Michael better than David. Like most patients, Michael knows nothing about David. The doctor is a workaholic and, arguably, his controlling nature and secret drinking contributed to the break-up of his marriage. But he’s working on these things. Michael believes David is his key to happiness. David believes Michael is his key to a lucrative book deal. They live in Ottawa, a city rife with misunderstandings. Without his knowing, Michael (renamed ‘Miguel’) has become the central figure in a self-help book David is writing for the tough-as-nails publisher Jasmina Hart with the help of flamboyant editor Samantha ‘Sammy’ Dunbar. Although they appear to be complete opposites, Sammy and David are wildly attracted to each other – everywhere. Michael is also wildly attracted to someone: David’s sensitive but slightly misguided receptionist Claire. The young single mom has transcribed every word David has whispered into his recorder about Michael. David is predictably perturbed by this budding romance. But this crisis is nothing compared to the firestorm that erupts when David finally tells Michael about the book. Can this very personal, professional relationship survive such a betrayal?