By John Corrado

The 2024 Hot Docs Film Festival runs from April 25th to May 5th in Toronto

What if the designs on playing cards actually represent the answer to a long-lost mystery about the real cause of death for France’s King Charles VIII? This is the question that the Vancouver sleight-of-hand magician Shawn Farquhar asks in director Jon Ornoy’s very fun documentary Lost in the Shuffle.

Farquhar, a two-time world champion of magic, has spent most of his life obsessed with playing cards, but has only recently started studying the classic designs and possible symbols hidden within. This brings him to looking a little closer at the King of Hearts, holding what appears to be a sword, and questioning if the card is possibly a doppelgänger for Charles VIII.

Ornoy follows Farquhar as he meets with his magician heroes Richard Turner, Alexandra Duvivier, Michael Vincent and Juan Tamariz, with each one of them revealing their favourite card trick (or magic “plot”) to perform. He finds elements to incorporate into his new act, which serves as a compelling thesis for everything he has learned.

If the film occasionally seems to lose sight of its central mystery, with historians not ready to commit to Farquhar’s playing card theory, Lost in the Shuffle builds to a very satisfying payoff. Farquhar serves as a magnetic guide who takes what he has learned to pull off one heck of a show captured in split screen. It’s a very enjoyable mix of history lesson and glimpse behind the curtain of the art of magic.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Lost in the Shuffle screens as part of the 2024 Hot Docs Film Festival, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.