Every now and then, an unanticipated film arrives to hit you with all the right feels in unexpected ways. Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, directed by Matt Johnson who stars in the film, co-written with Jay McCarrol (who also stars and wrote the music) and Jared Raab (who’s also the cinematographer), is an absolute ride with a feeling like it’s made by someone you know, complete with the craziness of never quite knowing what’s real and what’s fictional.

Canadian duo, Johnson and McCarrol, play fictionalised versions of themselves under the guise of them trying to play a gig in Toronto, at the Rivoli, with their band called Nirvanna the Band. The setup for the movie has been developed from their TV and web series of 2007-09, and it effortlessly integrates older and new footage to tell a story of the pair as they try to conceive a concert at the Rivoli that hasn’t even been booked.

We kick off in 2008 when the first plan to play the venue is discussed but it’s not long before we skip forward 17 years later, and any idea still hasn’t come to fruition. With a last-ditch attempt to get some publicity, Matt hatches a scheme that sees them joining a tourist tour going up the CN Tower and then skydiving off the top – with the plan being to land in the Skydome, during a Blue Jays baseball game, but what he does not take into account is that the roof of the stadium is closing during the plan – and while they do skydive off, they hit the roof of the stadium in a hilariously crazy ‘wait, is this real?!’ moment because it certainly looks like it!

So, with this latest plan foiled, Matt comes up with the idea of pretending to be time travellers to get a show, lovingly inspired by Back to the Future, and with it he decks out their RV in ‘time travel’ gear – after a deeper study of the film, While, of course, it’s just another hair-brained scheme that can’t happen, and his mate Jay is growing increasingly frustrated by a lack of progression, Matt then accidentally spills a bottle of the discontinued Canadian drink Orbitz on his ‘fake’ time-travel. While, at first everything seems normal, when they set off in the RV, the sugary drink has enabled something, and they surprisingly travel through time to 2008. From this point, there’s adventures galore, including meeting and stealing surreptitiously from their younger selves; one where Jay gets fame, but things go very wrong, and more beautifully inspired Back to the Future outcomes, with a hint of Safety Not Guaranteed, all of which are enjoyable.

As a whole, it’s filmed in a mix between handheld ‘home’ movie style and a guerilla technique which indicates a lot of ‘in the moment’ improvisation with both general tourists and any locals who happened to be in the middle of filming. These elements work well – think Spike Jonze and that Praise You video or even Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It. Johnson uses the process well for Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, as it creates a strangely likeable balance of feeling as if you’re in the story, with particular fun being had when involving unsuspecting people.

While the pacing doesn’t always completely hold your attention, what wins you over is the authentic centre keeping you tangled up with the key pair, and Johnson particularly shines due to both his enthusiasm and sheer perseverance throughout the vast sprawling madness. In fact, the film succeeds most when it’s snappier and then more natural funny. As a whole, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is charming chaotic fun, with all the heart you need from an unexpected indie comedy and absolutely worth the journey, and experience!

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is out now in UK and Irish cinemas