How filmmaker Clement Virgo and writer Tamara Faith Berger spend a day off in Toronto

Filmmaker Clement Virgo and novelist and screenwriter Tamara Faith Berger are partners in creative pursuits and in life. Most recently, the couple tag-teamed—Berger as writer, Virgo as director—on the film Steal Away, which premiered at last year’s TIFF. The film follows the erotic relationship between a teenage girl and a refugee taken in by her family. While Virgo and Berger work closely together, their days off are largely spent regrouping and focusing on making themselves whole. We sat down with the duo ahead of the premiere of Berger’s latest screenplay, Maya & Samar, to chat about their coffee rituals, gym routines and favourite spots to catch a screening.

Morning

Berger: I wake up around 6:30 a.m., and I do not consider myself human until I have coffee. We live in Kensington Market, and I’ve been drinking Ideal Coffee since they first opened there. Now that they’re a bit farther away, on Ossington, I usually use their beans at home for a pour-over if I’m not trekking down. I don’t have any fancy rituals with my coffee—just two cups with milk. My coffee time is also my writing time.

I work for myself, so days off aren’t really a thing. I do teach yoga, though—I’ve been a dedicated practitioner for 25 years, so that’s the only schedule I really have to adhere to. If I’m not teaching in the morning, I’m usually writing or reading the news. Mornings are when I get my best work done. After that, I’ll either practise yoga or do a weight workout. If I’m not training on my own, I love Sheldon Shannon’s class at Downward Dog or Iam Yoga, which is an incredibly beautiful space. I also discovered kettlebells through Unchained Athletics with Coach T—there’s a whole art to it that I didn’t know about.

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Virgo: I’m an early bird like Tamara. I usually wake up between 6 and 7, though lately—because I’ve been working a lot and my ideas tend to come first thing—it’s been a little earlier. I don’t drink coffee; I start the day with water. Since the start of the year, I’ve been listening to the Calm meditation app every morning. Even in the winter, I open the windows so I get fresh air and light in my eyes while I’m doing it. There’s a lot out there about how morning light helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, so I’ve been trying it out. If I’m in writing mode, I journal after my reset—not daily affirmations so much as thoughts I jot down while my mind is clear. For me, writing is like a puzzle I’m trying to solve, and the journal helps me put the pieces together.

I usually eat breakfast around 10 or 11, and by then I’m really hungry because I don’t eat past 8 p.m. I’ve read about the benefits of intermittent fasting, so I’ve started doing that. Tamara makes a big jar of overnight oats that we share, though we rarely eat it together—we both have our own morning routines. More often than not, I’ll head to GoodLife, the gym I’ve been going to since 1997. Lately, I’ve also been using a trainer named Shaun through an app called Bodi.

Afternoon

Berger: If I’m taking time for myself, I love browsing bookstores. Flying Books on College Street is one of my favourites. I especially like reading books in translation: I recently picked up Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa and Name by Constance Debré at Another Story on Roncesvalles. I tend to gravitate toward smaller presses, and I trust the buyers there—they have great taste. Bellwoods Books is also excellent, and it just so happens to be right in the basement of Flying Books. It’s a feminist vintage bookstore, which is right up my alley. I read a book a week, so I can’t always buy my books: another place I frequent is the library. I adore the Lillian H. Smith branch, at College and Huron.

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Before heading home, I usually do my shopping in the market. Unfortunately, there are only one or two fruit and vegetable shops left. I frequent Kensington Fruit Market at St. Andrew and Kensington, and I love Essence of Life and Sanagan’s. Our diet is very vegetable-forward. I was a vegetarian for my whole life before I got pregnant with my son, who is now away at university. We do eat some meat occasionally—lamb, if we’re being indulgent—and we eat a lot of seafood. Before dinner, I may walk somewhere to grab a glass of wine; local curated spots like Paradise Grapevine and Grape Witches are my go-tos. Recently, I’ve started frequenting Canary Counter on Harbord. The owner, Celia Méndez Díaz, is incredibly lovely and knowledgeable.

Virgo: I like to walk. I have a routine where I head up Brunswick all the way to Bloor and stop at BMV Books. I love that it’s old school—they still carry DVDs and Blu-rays in the basement, and there’s always an interesting front table of books. There are a lot of like-minded people who hang out there. It has a real throwback bookstore vibe, someplace you actually feel welcome to linger. I can pick up a book and read it for a while and then put it down, and no one is staring at me to buy it and leave. After BMV, I like to go to Scotty Bons for a beef patty or two and a ginger ale (if it’s my cheat day). I may even walk to Nadège bakery for a cookie.

Tamara and I occasionally head to the Lightbox for a matinée, though I often like to see things on my own. If I’m at the Richmond and John GoodLife, I’ll sometimes go solo to Scotiabank Theatre. I really enjoy going to movies by myself during the day—that’s where you find the hard-core cinephiles. I don’t really care what I see, and I never look for an outcome before going. I watch movies to have an experience and to learn. A movie is always a risk. After a movie, I often go to Queen Mother, as I have done for years. The ping gai and pad Thai are my go-tos.

Evening

Berger: Dinner is where we join together. We share the cooking. We eat, and then we tend to each retreat into solitude for a little while to read or cruise the internet.

Virgo: I really like the sheer vastness of YouTube. This is the time I may do my rabbit-holing. After a few hours, we may watch a movie together, or we may just go to bed.

Berger: Clement doesn’t love television, so I indulge in that on my own. I watched Heated Rivalry, and I find it interesting how it drew me in when it’s based on these romance books that I would never read. Jacob Tierney did a fascinating job, and I loved episodes five and six—they were both incredibly moving. I also enjoy the occasional reality show. I’m certainly not above trash. The lowest I’ll go is 90 Day Fiancé. My kid makes fun of me. Clement makes fun of me. I’m good with that.