By: Boris Shwartzman
When the lights go down at Toronto’s Paradise Theatre on September 11, audiences will be transported back to the summer of 1987. Cars are breaking down, radios are blasting Glass Tiger, and danger lurks in the shadows. At the heart of it all stands Tom Koch, a French actor now based in New York City, who takes on an important screen role in Jacked.
For Koch, Jacked represents both a personal milestone and an important step in his growing career. Trained at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he has worked across Off-Broadway plays, films, and directorial work. With Jacked, he steps into a lead role that calls for emotional vulnerability, physical presence, and a commitment to truth under pressure. For Koch, what makes Jay stand out is the character’s ordinariness. “He’s not a fighter, he’s not a superhero,” Koch explains. “He’s just a teenager trying to figure life out, and suddenly he’s thrown into a nightmare. That honesty is what I wanted to bring to the screen.”
A Story Born From Memory
The origins of Jacked trace back to a real teenage encounter in Ottawa in the late 1980s. Writer/director John Fucile once recounted the unsettling night he and a friend were interrupted by a stranger while parked on a country road. Decades later, that moment helped inspire the story for Jacked, co-written and produced with longtime collaborator Simon Fraser. Their vision was to craft a thriller that blends nostalgia with raw immediacy, a film that feels both period-authentic and timeless.
COVID-19 delays extended production years behind schedule, but in 2023, the team finally came together in upstate New York to shoot. Working with a modest budget of $230,000, they used a mix of RED, Sony, and even Polaroid formats to capture the texture of the 1980s. Filming in Ithaca, New York, gave the production a rich, rural backdrop that convincingly doubled for small-town Canada. The mix of wooded backroads, quiet lakesides, and abandoned stretches of highway created an immersive environment that made the danger feel genuine for both cast and crew. The result is a feature clocking in at 77 minutes that feels scrappy, personal, and fiercely independent.
Introducing the Team
One of the strengths of Jacked is its ensemble of passionate creatives.
John Fucile, an award-winning filmmaker and media scholar, makes his directorial debut.
Simon Fraser, who previously created the web series S** Nerd Girl* and Versus Valerie, brings his experience as a storyteller and producer.
Luc Montpellier, known for his cinematography on Sarah Polley’s Away From Her and Women Talking, steps into producing.
Marla Robison, a Canadian actor seen on Netflix’s Monsters: The Ed Gein Story and ABC’s Big Sky, plays Lindsay with grit and heart.
Anthony Cipriani, familiar to New York audiences from Law & Order, transforms into the menacing Creep.
Together with Koch, this team infuses Jacked with intensity, humor, and humanity.
The Road Ahead
After its world premiere at the Toronto Independent Film Festival, Jacked will make its U.S. debut later in September at the Oregon Independent Film Festival. Additional screenings are expected as the film embarks on its festival run, where word of mouth is starting to build. For Koch, these screenings mark another step in a journey that has carried him from the stages of London and New York to festival screens worldwide.
The project also reflects the collaborative spirit Koch values most. “It’s about the trust you build with your director, your scene partners, your crew. That’s what makes a film like Jacked possible,” he says.
Where to Learn More
Audiences can follow updates on Jacked at jackedworld.com and keep up with Koch’s latest work at tomkoch.org. On Instagram, Koch can be found at @gotomkoch, and @jacked1980s, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses and updates from set.