Stand on screen for thee
Here are some Canadian films with enduring appeal
Apparently, Canadians are polite. We say sorry and eh and “aboot.” We eat brown bread not whole wheat like our American cousins. We also appreciate irony while living in a bilingual nation with a decent health-care system paid for by our modest selves.
Movies by us, about us and for us sometimes reflect variations on the theme of what it is to be Canadian. And sometimes they don’t, which is kind of Canadian, too, writes Bob Thompson.
Here are 10 films that demonstrate the Canadian spirit for comedy and drama and lots of stuff in between: celebrated classical pianist who lived his life in fragments with as many ups as downs. With François Girard’s sharp direction, Colm Feore portrays Gould with remarkable ease, making the cinematic assessment as enlightening as it is entertaining. time-shifting retelling of the 1989 massacre at Montreal’s École Polytechnique. His courageous procedural defines tragedy minus emotional overtness. That restraint and the dedicated actors combine to provide a compelling account of dysfunction as a senseless calamity. Pinsent is Canadian royalty and this is his crowning achievement. The actor wrote and starred in the account of Newfoundland lad Will Cole, a free-living, irresponsible rounder who soon finds out there is a price to pay when carefree becomes carelessness. The mix of light and dark only adds to the film’s climactic impact.
British actress Sally Hawkins plays Depression-era Nova Scotia artist Maud Lewis with Oscar-worthy intensity. Only in Canada would a Brit play a Canadian directed by an Irish filmmaker (Aisling Walsh). But the raw result is an outstanding tribute to a special person.