art of the state

Why is it that Anglo-Canadian filmmakers just can't seem to break through with audiences on the same level that our writers and musicians have? Let's put the Jewisons and the Cronenbergs aside and focus on those who still reside and work in Canada, with Canadian dollars backing them. (Also, we've never had a deficiency in the experimental and documentary departments, I'm talking fiction here.)

Much has been written on this subject; some blame the talent-vacuum that is Hollywood, luring away all our writers, actors and directors. Others say it's the government funding structure, which we are lucky to have, but which works in mysterious ways more often than not. Perhaps it's the ever-present national identity crisis: who are we and what makes us Canadian? etc. There is also the lack of available screens due to the distribution/exhibition oligopoly that is taking over theatres.

Whatever the obstacles in our path, I think we Anglo-Canadian filmmakers need to take a closer look at our product (which is, after all, the one thing we can control). Do our recent films really stand up when compared with Quebec, let alone independent American offerings? Rather than wade too deeply into the debate, I'll let you be the judge. Here are some interesting ones to consider:

Black Field (2009)

This is a promising feature debut from Winnipeg director Danishka Esterhazy. A Gothic prairie tale set in the 1870s, it tells the story of a love triangle between two sisters living alone on their farm and a handsome francophone stranger with a dubious past. Although some of the details could have used more fleshing out, this film reminds me of playing "pioneers" with my cousins in the bleak prairie landscape (in a good way) and the two young actresses are a pleasure to watch.

Small-Town Murder Songs (2010)

I had high expectations for this one, and perhaps that was my problem. The concept sounds great--a murder shakes up a pacifist Mennonite community in rural Ontario. I was hoping for a Canadian Silent Light (a brilliant, slow-paced Menno love-triangle set on a Mexican colony by director Carlos Reygadas) but found writer/director/producer Ed Gass-Donnelly's  use of music and superimposed Bible verses (the same as quoted in Glenn Gould's radio doc The Quiet in the Land) to be a bit heavy-handed. Plus, I get tired of seeing the same actors' faces all the time (Jackie Burroughs, anyone?). Sometimes it's better to go with unknown or unprofessional actors in bit parts, since recognizing a well-known one can take the audience out of the story.

Grown-Up Movie Star (2009)

I really enjoyed this one, another debut from a woman filmmaker (Adriana Maggs). The story of a self-destructive teenage girl in a small town may not be the most original (I've even made a film about that subject), but I think originality is over-rated anyway. It's what you do with a concept that makes the film live or die, and this movie's fine cast carries it off brilliantly. Saskatchewan girl Tatiana Maslany even won an acting award at Sundance for her performance and is definitely on her way up.

Cairo Time (2009)

I have to admit that, for me, this film was the most pleasant surprise of the bunch. Yes, it falls squarely into "chick-flick" territory, and although the stories may sound similar, it's nothing like the cliché and shmaltzy Eat Pray Love. In Cairo Time, love blossoms between a woman waiting alone in Cairo for her husband, who is prevented from joining her due to his high-stakes job with the UN, and a dark, handsome friend of his. Somehow, writer-director Ruba Nadda has managed to make this dreamily romantic, funny and bittersweet film without being sucked down into sentimentality--a terrific feat when dealing with material like this! I have great respect for this prolific yet under-appreciated filmmaker and look forward to her future offerings.

PS: Notice a thread developing here? Four out of five of these films are from women directors--hopefully this trend continues!

PPS: Some other recent Canadian films I look forward to seeing: The Kate Logan Affair (Noël Mitrani), Good Neighbors (Jacob Tierney), and of course, Keyhole (Guy Maddin).

west is best

I love films that are set in the West but aren't actually Westerns. I mentioned a couple of these (The Last Picture Show and The Killer Inside Me) in my small-town melodrama list, but since it's another favourite subgenre of mine, I thought I'd elaborate.

The Western has more offshoots than perhaps any other genre; every decade or two it seems to be revived with a twist. However, it always seems to boil down to the same old elements, which gets tedious if you're not a fan of overblown myths of masculinity and stage-y acting. I know I'm going to catch some flak for this, but I find Sergio Leone films painful to watch and Jon Wayne's cardboard delivery really gets on my nerves. That being said, I love the western setting: the sweeping desert landscapes, the horses, the cowboy hats--with the right artistic vision these elements can meld into pure cinematic magic.

Fortunately for me, there are lots of auteur films in which to get a fix without the tired tropes of the classical Western. Here are a few, for your viewing pleasure:

The Misfits (1961)

Written by playwright Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston and starring Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift, this film is a tour-de-force. In her final (and, probably, best) performance, Monroe plays a divorcee who is appalled when her rugged cowboy lover, played by Gable, plans to round up the area's last remaining herd of wild horses and sell them for dog food. Her love for the untamed beasts is consistent with her love for Gable's manly character, but the latter's Western pragmatism spoils the romance and leads to disillusionment. The film has its share of light, funny moments, but it culminates in an unforgettably passionate outcry from Monroe. If you ask me, she is generally underrated as an actress (it's hard to take a woman seriously when her breasts are always falling out of her dress) and, here, the casting choice takes on added significance since, in life as in this role, she proved to be a tragic figure too sensitive for the rough world around her.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

This is a classic tragedy about two people who love each other more than anything else in the world but can't be together--the twist is that they happen to be cowboys. Masterfully directed and acted (the late Heath Ledger is especially brilliant as man-of-few-words Ennis Del Mar), the film contains what is, in my opinion, one of the saddest moments in all cinema; I won't spoil the plot for you, but I will admit that I bawl like a baby every time I see it.

Giant (1956)

James Dean in a cowboy hat. Need I say more? This sprawling epic about a Texas ranching family is perfect viewing for a long, late-summer night.

Hud (1963)

Paul Newman in a cowboy hat...you get the picture. Anyway, this gem of a film also has a really interesting screenplay in that the title character is actually the antagonist and his young nephew who seems to be on the fringe of the story ends up being framed as the protagonist. Filmed in beautiful black and white, it's pure pleasure to watch.

Crin blanc / White Mane (1953)

This film is delightfully odd; coming in at 40 minutes in length, I would describe it as an existential fairy-tale for kids. Directed by Albert Lamorisse (The Red Balloon), it also has to do with the capture of a wild horse, this time in the Camargue region of Southern France. A young boy witnesses the attempts of the gardians (Camargue cowboys) to break a wild stallion named White Mane. A violent contest breaks out between White Mane and one of the other horses in which they paw at each other with their hooves and bite each other until their silvery coats are streaked with blood (this long, visceral battle looks as though it just happened spontaneously and they decided to let the cameras roll). White Mane, the victor, escapes the paddock and from then on the little boy is obsessed, fantasizing about the magnificent creature in gorgeously filmed, hypnotic dream sequences. He finally does get to ride White Mane, but the gardians give chase across the desert marshes; the film closes on the boy and horse swimming out to sea, never to return.

PS: Unforgiven, a brilliant anti-Western by Clint Eastwood, and The Three Burials of Meliaques Estrada, an arthouse indie-Western by Tommy Lee Jones, may appear to be more faithful to the conventions of the genre, but add enough twists to make them very interesting anomalies for anyone who's tired of the same old horse operas.

thin letters

A former film prof of mine used to call rejection letters "thin" letters. When your application (for a grant, a festival, a contest, etc.) is successful, you get a thick letter in the mail: an envelope containing your acceptance letter, along with forms to fill out, and sometimes even a check. But when you are unsuccessful, the envelope contains only one soul-crushing piece of paper: an impersonal form letter "regretting to inform you" of the fact that you've been rejected. (My prof actually made a hand-processed, 16mm short film called The Thin Letter.)

After what may often be three or four months of waiting and hoping, thin letters can be devastating. It takes a while for the news to sink in; for the first day or so you may find yourself drifting back into that habitual state of anticipation, only to remember that it's all over. I am just coming out of that phase for the third time this month. No, I am not bitter--one of my thin letters came with helpful, encouraging comments and, after all, I have received my share of thick letters--but the repetitive cycle of application/anticipation/rejection does get old at a certain point.

However, as the cliché goes, you can't win them all. Rejection is a part of life, and soldiering on becomes easier the more you do it. So, my response to the thin letters was to declare, "I'll show them, I'll show them all!" and send out yet another application, once again crossing my fingers. (You may as well enjoy the anticipation--after all, you never know....)