Toronto Star

A special harmony with hermits and Viggo Mortenson

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SARAH SLEAN, piano-bashing Toronto singer, songwriter and general sweetie Q: Name the last film you saw. A: In the Realms of the Unreal, a documentar­y about the late Henry Darger. He was a recluse who left a 15,000-page novel, detailed weather reports and about 300 paintings. Hermits. I dunno what it is. I feel a kinship. I also rented I § Huckabees and laughed so hard it was embarassin­g. It takes genius to make modern philosophy funny. Q: Do you have a favourite movie? A: Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch is in my top five. Like Water For Chocolate, My Own Private Idaho, The Princess Bride . . . Q: Since the Toronto Internatio­nal Film Festival is a good excuse for cinematic nationalis­m, do you have a favourite Canadian movie? A: 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould. Q: Do you have a favourite film score or soundtrack? A: I love the score to Waking Life by the Tosca Tango Orchestra. All Danny Elfman’s scores I love, particular­ly Edward Scissorhan­ds. Ennio Morriccone writes beautifull­y for string orchestras. And (shiver) The Mission

soundtrack. Q: What do you think makes a good film soundtrack? A: Rendering emotion accurately, but with transparen­cy, never jostling that sublime suspension of disbelief. Q: Have you had any personal experience working in film? A: Why, yes indeed: an hourlong film-noir musical/ movie called Black Widow by Toronto director David Mortin. I play Evelyn Hardwick, murderess, alongside Martin Tielli and Mary Margaret O’Hara. It will be in the Calgary Film Festival and on Showtime later this year. I’m also writing and scoring an animated short. Q: Name one movie star who will reduce you to gibbering fanhood if you run into him or her during the festival? A: Viggo (Mortenson). Viggo all the way. Good Lord. — BEN RAYNER

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