As Kung Fu Elliot tells the story of a delusional Canadian who wishes to make films but resides in hopelessly straitened intellectual and financial circumstances, it’s tempting to think of this film as Canada’s answer to 1999’s American Movie.

In both, our protagonists are aspiring against insurmountable odds. In Movie, the protagonist’s goal was to bring horror to America, a place largely devoid of it; in Elliot, the protagonist’s goal was to bring chauvinist machismo to Canada, a place largely devoid of it. Both films feel exploitative, and read almost as mockumentaries.

Indeed, due to its location (Nova Scotia) and the absurdity of its subjects (Elliot "White Lightning" Scott aims to become Canada’s first action hero by way of his ultra-low-budget martial arts movie, Blood Fight), one could be forgiven for mistaking Elliot as a Trailer Park Boys franchise spin-off.

But as Scott slowly reveals himself to be not only delusional but highly manipulative, Elliot filmmakers Matthew Bauckman and Jaret Belliveau become inextricably ensnared in the plot line, and the end product, if a bit of a surprise, feels tampered with.