MEMOIRES AFFECTIVES (ALLIANCE/VIVA FILM, 2004)

By Rick Jackson

Directed by Francis Leclerc, Memoires Affectives is a highly charged drama about a veterinarian named Alexander Tourneur who wakes up from a coma only to find he cannot remember anything about his life, including relatives, his business partner and girlfriends.

The screenplay by Leclerc and Marcel Beaulieu focuses on Alexander's plight and his return to some kind of normalcy in what may be a second chance at life, thanks to an accident which almost killed him if it weren't for a stranger who took him to the hospital.

Roy Dupuis, whose screen credits include Jesus of Montreal, Seraphin: Heart of Stone, and The Barbarian Invasions, brings to the screen one of the most convincing portraits of a man determined to live a normal life. As he questions his ex-wife, daughter, business partner and others, he finds them creating memories that aren't true.

Alexander becomes an enigmatic character thanks to Leclerc and Beaulieu who strike a balance between reality and fiction by letting you sort out the truth by leaving out the preordained happy ending from your average Hollywood drama. By gaining your sympathy as he wakes up, they depend on your personal feelings toward Alexander to keep you watching and it works.

Dupuis gives him an inner strength that makes him real enough to be believable, and there are times you sense what might happen next but each time it is a turn only he can make for essentially it is his thoughts and feelings guiding the story as if some otherworldly imaginative force, mysterious and unseen, is controlling him.

From here Alexander learns something he never realized before the accident. This is the truth behind a family tragedy which he faces with his estranged brother in Toronto. It is one of the most emotional and heart-wrenching scenes in the entire film, with it's brutally honest images transcending the imaginaton long enough to be real, for not only Alexander but for us, too.

The music score captures the mood effectively throughout as it underscores the inescapable fear of the unknown as Alexander faces the world from the perspective of a man hurt deep inside and not able to deal with his demons until after his life changing accident.

The cinematography captures the mood perfectly, especially at the very beginning when you see him alone in bed. The isolation is symbolic of the kind of life he had, driven to work by day as a veterinarian, and by night by the bottle as an escape from reality. Each scene thereafter - when he looks at family pictures and drinks alone - he is haunted by the partial memories which come back but make no sense because he never really understood them. The mood in low lighting each time brings home the continued abyss of solitude which still is with him, even at the end when he discovers the truth about his father's death.

No other film at this year's Kingston Canadian Film Festival strikes a sense of desperation and truth through the eyes of personal tragedy from one man. It is almost Bergmanesque in that it examines the heart and soul of a man's suffering.

Only through searching through his past is he able to, at least, have the chance to redeem himself and hope for a decent future, and it is here where the film ends. The last shot of his face hurt and dishevelled by a pain far more greater than the accident that took his memory shows he is on the way to recovery but still a long way to go.

March 7, 2005

Copyright 2005 Rick Jackson

VERSUS IVAN (VERSUS IVAN INCORPORATED, 2004)

By Rick Jackson

Versus Ivan which premiered at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival in March 2005 is an auspicious directorial debut for Queen's University graduate Chris Gamble.

Filmed over 19 days, the rest of the cast are also graduates from Queen's, while community members from Yellowknife where it was filmed filled in wherever possible.

Written, produced and directed by Gamble, it is a black comedy about routine, control and the acceptance of change as it affects one individual, Ivan Schulloppses, who has been trapped by his own dreams and routine. The mundane daily life he has led for the past eight years has suddenly gone awry for no reason. It all begins when the package of food he has been receiving from overseas has stopped coming. Life at and after work is slowly crumbling in small pieces which annoy him to no end. He ends up losing his job and, generally, feeling lost and frustrated in a world which used to make him feel satisfied and happy. Although he finds out who is stealing the packages by film's end, life is still not perfect but there is a glimmer of hope which only he can understand.

Liam Karry, a Queen's University Theatre graduate, makes his feature film debut after appearing in various stage plays and short art films. As Ivan he shows promise an up-and-coming actor whose sensitive performance you can empathize as he suffers from the daily doldrums which we all have gone through under far different circumstances. How he copes with the reality of discovery and accepts the answers to his quixotic way of life comprises much of the film's focus. He accomplishes this in one week.

Tennille Read shines in her feature debut as Miriya Huxley, the girl next door who wants to help but cannot summon up enough courage to go through with it. Instead of feeling sorry for him, she tries to understand his predicament and invites him over for supper to have a good home cooked meal. Her generosity and sympathy guide the plot through its own plodding way. There is also a hint of a budding romance in her last statement which Ivan has yet to grasp, but we do watching because it's written all over her face. When the story ends you can only speculate, but it is all part of the faint hope of Ivan's complete recovery from his inherent blackness.

The supporting cast features Ken Woodley as a psychotic mailman, Hannah Clarke as a demon child, Rick Poltaruk as Ivan's boss and head of the bocce ball team, and Dave Lovell as his colleague Niko at Web Smart Assets.

Locations in Yellowknife include the Black Knight, Javaroma, Parker Park and Co-Op which meant many long shooting days because the midnight sun allowed 16 hours of daylight.

Despite some rough spots in editing and some annoying pieces of music in some scenes, Versus Ivan is a noteworthy production.

Footnote: The version that played at The Screening Room the week of October 21, 2005 was seven minutes shorter from the original 97 minutes when it was premiered at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival.

Copyright 2005 Rick Jackson

BEING CARIBOU (NATIONAL FILM BOARD, 2004)

By Rick Jackson

This documentary by writer/directors Leanne Allison and Diana Wilson captures the caribou in its most positive light. From the spring migration of the porcupine herd to the Arctic from Alaska and the Yukon, it provides a breathtaking and unforgettable journey which environmentalist Allison and wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer have recorded in a diary.

Allison is also the cinematographer and she gives you many images of the caribou, especially the shots against the night sky where they appear to be walking in a long line in the snow.

As their journey begins, they are not sure how many they will see. Through binoculars and aerial footage we get to see them running, climbing up a mountain and cresting up and down hills. When they finally reach a herd, they feel they are part of something bigger. Some of the caribou run ahead to graze and eat.

The sad part to the entire story is the United States government's oil development in an area not far away which threatens the survival of the caribou. After bringing it up, Allison and Wilson fail to discuss it any further.

The journey which they come to realize as a historical event because they are lucky in watching them move around, Allison and Heuer wonder howlong they will continue because they are running out of supplies by Day 16.

A plane eventually drops off more supplies but they experience another hurdle--bears who prevent them from continuing and they are forced to stay in their tent.

At this point in this documentary, one wishes there had been more dialogue or sub-titles to articulate the journey better for they know better than us the advantages and disadvantages they faced. For us watching we can only depend on their accuracy in presenting to us their experience.

What is most interesting is the reason for the caribou's flight to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge where, after travelling for weeks the pregnant cows arrive at the calving grounds. The narrow strip of coastal plain provides a type of grass to help them produce high quality milk. It also gives them freedom from predators for they prove the old adage of safety in numbers.

Through binoculars we get to see the birth of a calf still shiny and wet, the umbilical cord still attached. Allison and Heuer do not get any closer for this is sacred ground.

Despite them telling us they shouldn't be there, their journey allows us to see the life of a soon-to-be extinct animal threatened by the U.S. government.

With the end of the calving season in June, there is the post calving aggregation a month later. It is here the filmmakers lose track of the caribou and try to catch up.

The story quickly loses its continuity when it is broken up by an implausible subplot where the two find themselves dreaming of the animals. It ruins the narrative thread by taking us away from knowing what will happen to the caribou.
You'd think there would be other footage they could have used here.When they reach the herd five days later, silly dialogue detracts from "the big gathering."

Before the conclusion, their main purpose for following the caribou is finally reiterated in a segment that seems added in as an afterthought. This is the herd's delicate habit which is could be devastated if the plans by the oil company go ahead.

Despite its flaws, watching Allison and Heuer follow a herd of 120,000 caribou on foot across 1,500 kilometres of rugged tundra is one of the richly detailed highlights. Had they spent more time in making it more informative, it might have been more cohesive and, as a result, a superior documentary. In its present form, it still provides us with a closeup look at the caribou which is, at least, the main reason for seeing Being Caribou.

March 5, 2005

Copyright 2005 Rick Jackson

SAINT RALPH (ODEON FILMS, 2004)

By Rick Jackson

Written and directed by Michael McGowan, Saint Ralph does not live up to its title. Right from the beginning, it is clearly a silly, amoral film starring Adam Butcher as Ralph Walker, who has no respect for anyone but his mother. His foul mouth and crude behaviour are sacriligious when you consider he is going to the Roman Catholic School For Boys where such language and actions are frowned upon.

McGowan wastes no time in ridiculing the entire school system by turning Walker into not just a troublemaker, but a hero. This poorly conceived story lacks the seriousness of its subject. You are left laughing at the wrong time. I fail to see how he could possibly be funny in a story that should have been about his adolescent awakening into manhood where he might curb his wild ways and finally grow up. To even have Ralph be persuaded a miracle might save his dying mother by trying to win the Boston Marathon is absolutely ludricous.

Despite weaknessnes in the story, there are good performances by Gordon Pinsent as Father Fitzpatrick, who tries to teach Ralph to mend his ways. Pinsent gives the film whatever seriousness it lacks and his presence is, at least, mindful that there is some dignity and respect at the school. Fitzpatrick's stern hand keeps everyone in line.

Cast as Father Hibbert, a former Marathon runner who joined the priesthood at the beginning of World War II,is Campbell Scott. His solid performance as Ralph's teacher and trainer for the marathon adds whatever credibility there is left.

In other roles, Shauna MacDonald plays Ralph's mother, Emma; Michael Kaner is Chester, Ralph's best friend at school; Tamara Hope is Claire Collins, the girl Ralph likes to think as his girlfriend, and Jennifer Tilly is Nurse Alice.

The songs on the soundtrack are trite and awful, as is the appearance of a mystery man, who may or may not be God, dressed as Santa Claus. He makes no real sense except to make the story veer into the direction of a fantasy, which this film is definitely not.

Set during the period between September 1953 and May 1954, Saint Ralph fails to deliver as a Breaking Away (1979) for the 21st century. It's also one of the worst films of the year. Better to stay home and watch a rerun of Touched By The Angel on television.

It is rated PG, with the warnings: coarse language and not recommended for young children.

After premiering at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, it opened for a regular run on May 28, 2005.

March 5, 2005

Copyright 2005 Rick Jackson

WEIRD SEX AND SNOWSHOES (MPIX, 2005)

By Rick Jackson

Based on Vancouver film critic Katherine Monk's book of the same name, Weird Sex and Snowshoes is an interesting look back at the nature and character of Canadian Cinema. Throughout this 60-minute documentary, there is a generous supply of clips from our classic films, with comments from some of the directors who made them.

You will recognize Oscar winners The Barbarian Invasions, the documentary short Neighbours (1952) and such cult favourites as Goin' Down The Road (1970) and Atanara juat - The Fast Runner (2002). For moviegoers who haven't seen our first Canadian feature, there are clips from Back To God's Country (1919).

Since this is so short, it is difficult to cover this bird's eye view of our films. In trying to come up with an answer to "What is a Canadian film?," it gets lost in the lack of knowledge of them. There is no real explanation, save the film clips and interviews.

By showing them we do get a better idea of the kinds of Canadian movies we have made over the last 100 years. The director's individual points of view are hardly anything new, whether it be the two identities, English and French, and the films that are made in both languages.

What gets lost is the entire French film industry which, like their music, is full-fledged. The overall perspective we have of Canadian Cinema, at least the international view, stems from the French films such as Mon Oncle Antoine (1971) and the more recent, Barbarian Invasions, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

Atom Egoyan describes Ararat, his Genie Award winning film, as a story about language, religion and history, and how open we should be to hearing stories about our past and accepting someone else's experience as part of our own. Another one of his films, The Sweet Hereafter (1997) touched on personal survival and the preservation of identity.

There are also the films about the harsh life of our pioneers and native Aboriginals in the aforementioned The Fast Runner, The Snow Walker and Black Robe.

Zacharias Kunuk, the director of The Fast Runner, describes his film as the most authentic about Canada's North because it is not fake like the fictional reality captured by Hollywood, whether it be on the big or small screen.

Anne Wheeler's early filsm are historical in nature such as Bye Bye Blues, another Genie Award winner, which looked at life on the Prairies.

As the film moves from one director to another, mention is made of the National Film
Board founded by John Grierson in 1939 which captured the essence of our country in vignettes, including the Hinterland Who's Who series on the woodchuk and other animals who live in Canada.

The director of The Red Violin talks about the instrument as a main character since it deals with the birth of the instrument and the death of an unborn child, the child prodigy with all of the problems of growing up, and the flamboyant sexuality and conflicts of romance with musicians, where the woman in the film gets jealous of the violin and shoots it.

There are also those films which have a narrative thread built from pieces and scenes such as The Thirty-Two Films of Glenn Gould, which the director says showed the problems inherent in making a biographical film. Colm Feore gives an outstanding performance as Gould in a film about the nature of celebrity and the title character's own inner torment of it.

Director Robert LePage describes his films as items examined under a microscope, the camera focussing on a particular thing. He doesn't go into too much more detail.

Patricia Rozema of I Heard The Mermaids Singing fame says her films are about inner landscapes, what they imagine and how it influences our actions and behaviour. She also noticed an appreciation of the absurd or surreal in our films in general.

This is most evident in Guy Maddin's universe where life uninhibited exists in our dreams which he believes is a true reflection of what you actually feel. A case in point is the offbeat and wonderful Saddest Music In The World.

Denis Villeneuve describes Maelstrom as having been derived from the inspiration of daily events that can be perceived as part of our subconscious which, in turn, becomes a whole new reality.

In the case of such films as Kissed, in which the heroine has sex with a corpse, it is this sense of the bizzare that some directors like Don McKellar suggest our unique view of sexual discomfort and anxiety that Hollywood has avoided. He says ours is healthier, and our perception of the controversial is to make a point of getting over our fears. A point well taken. What is missing in Monk's documentary are the scenes to backup McKellar's claim.

Along with sex are the boundaries of love, such as Lea Pool's Straight For The Heart which examines the complex nature of sex in relationships whether they be with heterosexuals, homosexuals or lesbians. It's the desire for sex which she wanted to ascertain in her own mind.

Chaos And Desire is another film which director Manon Brian describes as unpredictable and uncontrollable. The sex scenes on the beach parallel what he wanted to say about the movement of the act itself and of the earth in a scene which featured the rumbling of an earthquake.

Many filmmakers find it difficult to define the character of Canadian film. It is addressed more as an in-joke but clearly by looking at our films individually will you only be able to get the proper perspective.

In her focus on Canadian film, Monk lets the film clips and interviews speak for themselves. It is more like this is her own home movie with her personal observances, with interviews added in, than a film of any historical value. However, the interviews will serve as a starting point for the neophyte or veteran Canadian movie fan as an introduction to our cinema.

To look further, you must still do your own research and see as many Canadian films you can, if you are to come to any accurate assesment of any kind or want to discuss them at any length.

March 5, 2005

Copyright 2005 Rick Jackson

PINK LUDOOS (2005)

By Rick Jackson

Pink Ludoos is a smart coming of age comedy in which a contemporary young woman wants to live her life without being tied down by the traditions of her Sikh family.

Jay Kazim is simply wonderful to watch as Gugan Dhaliwal. Her performance is down-to-earth and funny as she searches within herself enough courage to cry out and be heard among her mother's platitudes and superstitions.

Early in the film, Gugan learns she is pregnant with three girls out of wedlock. Tradition says that boys are the choice gender. When a baby is born, it is celebrated by sweets called "pink ludoos."

Written by Belle Mott, the focus of the story is on this important Sikh tradition and how Gugan seeks to change it. When she meets Raymond (Chenur Hendel) she doesn't realize who he really is.

Shaheen Khan, who played the mother in Bend It Like Bendham, plays Mrs. Dhaliwal. She wants Gugan, her eldest daughter, to follow tradition and watch out for certain things such as the upcoming eclipse. Gugan also doesn't like the spices she throws around the air because she doesn't like them.

The rest of the supporting cast features Jolly Bader as Mr. Dhaliwal, who is torn by past mistakes and has become a lazy drunkard, and Agam Darshi is Pria, Gugan's younger brother.

Under Guarav Seth's capable direction, Pink Ludoos is a delightful surprise.

March 5, 2005

Copyright 2005 Rick Jackson