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| Gabrielle |
This year might have been a quietly commendable year for
Canadian movies. The biggest names in Canadian film largely made films outside
the national borders: Denis Villeneuve with Prisoners,
Atom Egoyan with Devil’s Knot, and
Jean-Marc Vallée with Dallas Buyers Club,
for example. (And the bulk of attention garnered to Canadian cinema this year
probably—and rightfully—stemmed from the successful release of Stories We Tell in the USA.) This year
therefore allowed Canadian cinema to shine a light on unique talents and the
up-and-coming filmmakers. Films made an impression with their distinct voice
and style, rather than with their big names. It was an especially good year for
documentary, too, so the roaring success of Stories
We Tell might open the door for more doc discoveries on the international
scene for some of these great films.
My Picks for the Top Ten Canadian Films of 2013:
1. Gabrielle
(Dir. Louise Archambault)
Canada couldn’t have picked a better film to represent us at
the Oscars this year. Louise Archambault’s immensely likable Gabrielle is an absolute joy. It’s a
heartwarming but deftly handled character study of a developmentally-challenged
girl with Williams’ Syndrome. Gabrielle, played by an endearing Gabrielle
Marion-Rivard, goes on a moving coming-of-age journey as she tests her
independence, confidence, and, above all, her ability to love. The love story
between Gabrielle and Antoine (an impressive Alexandre Landry) is touching, yet
unsentimental, while the tale of familial love between Gabrielle and her sister
Sophie (a strong Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) will move audiences to tears. The uncontrived
emotion and honesty of Gabrielle is a
refreshing crowd-pleaser thanks to Archambault’s masterful direction and
delicate handling of the subject matter. You’ll also be humming the tune of
Robert Charlebois’ “Ordinaire,” which forms the film’s theme, in the afterglow
of Gabrielle.
2. Rhymes for Young Ghouls
(Dir. Jeff Barnaby)
The sucker punch of Rhymes
for Young Ghouls should have viewers reeling for days. Jeff Barnaby proves
to be the breakout Canadian filmmaker of the year with his brilliantly badass Rhymes for Young Ghouls. There has never
been anything quite like this film in Canadian cinema before. It’s a tough and
brutal look at life in the shadows of the Residential Schools in 1976, and one
that couldn’t be more necessary. The style of the film is something that I
can’t quite put my finger on: it’s not quite a horror film, it’s not really a
thriller, but it’s a ghost story of sorts. Central to the bold power of Rhymes for Young Ghouls is a commanding
performance by Devery Jacobs as its heroine Alia. This tough girl is the
strongest warrior you’ll see in Canadian film this year.
3. 15 Reasons to Live
(Dir. Alan Zweig)
Everyone raved about Alan Zweig’s When Jews Were Funny when it played at TIFF (where it won the award
for Best Canadian Film) and when it scored a spot on Canada’s Top Ten. Zweig
deserves all sorts of honours in 2013… he just deserves it for the other film
he made this year, 15 Reasons to Live.
15 Reasons to Live is a profoundly
moving documentary about the seemingly mundane things that any person can do to
improve the lives of others and live life to the fullest. The Toronto stories
that comprise the chapters of the film build a sense of community as it reaches
its profound catharsis. You’ll feel in good company watching this film: 15 Reasons to Live is a beautifully
life-affirming experience.
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| Photo: Jo-anne McArthur / We Animals |
4. The Ghosts in Our Machine
(Dir. Liz Marshall)
I am in awe of Liz Marshall and
Joanne McArthur. The director and subject of the documentary The Ghosts in Our Machine offer one of
the most powerful feats of activism in the films of 2013. Marshall takes the
scope of the cinematic image to its greatest power as she follows photographer
Joanne McArthur capturing animals in captivity to create provocative photo
essays on the relationship between humans and animals. The result is a film as
bold, slick, and gripping as a dramatic white-knuckler as Marshall and her team
of stealthy cinematographers follow McArthur to the front lines of her daring
mission. This film can truly make a difference.
5. Last Woman Standing
(Dir. Juliet Lammers and Lorraine Price)
Last Woman Standing
is one heck of a documentary. This film by Juliet Lammers and Lorraine Price
chronicles the friendly rivalry between teammates and friends Mary Spencer and
Ariane Fortin leading up to the inaugural gauntlet in female boxing at the 2012
Olympics. Last Woman Standing reveals
the subjectivity and calculation it takes to win Olympic Gold, for Mary and
Ariane know all each other’s strengths and weaknesses as friends and
competitors. As the directors follow each athlete, they maintain an objective
viewpoint even when tough calls in the ring invite interpretation or judgment.
For this objectivity alone, Last Woman
Standing provides one of the most engaging and inspiring Canadian stories
of the year.
6. The Animal Project
(Dir. Ingrid Veninger)
The Animal Project
solidifies Ingrid Veninger’s status at the indie film queen of the Toronto film
scene. Her latest project is one of the most offbeat, eclectic, and quirky
films to grace the festival circuit in some time, yet this TIFF sleeper hit
scores some unexpected high points for emotional authenticity as Veninger sends
a troupe of actors in big fuzzy animal costumes around the streets of Toronto.
The result is a fascinating study of the way humans interact with public space
and of the modes of social decorum that separate man from beast as the actors
explore the concrete jungle. The Animal
Project is proof that any filmmaker all a filmmaker needs to achieve
greatness is a unique story, a camera, and a team that embraces her belief that
nothing is impossible.
7. Camion
(Dir. Rafaël Ouellette)
Camion is one of
the Canadian films that were hard to find this year, but it was worth the
effort. (For example, the film had one screening in Ottawa during the CFI’s
Diverciné festival.) The film is a poignant slice-of-life character study of an
aging truck driver named Germain, played by an exceptional Julien Poulin, who
falls into depression after he kills a woman in an accident while driving his
truck and can’t return to the big rig that he drove daily. This poignant film
is brought to life by Poulin’s commanding performance and Ouellette’s subtle
observation for rural life. Best of all might be the film’s mellow soundtrack
with one of my favourite songs from a film this year, Mentana’s “Islands and Rupees.”
8. Molly Maxwell
(Dir. Sara St. Onge)
Hey there, precious snowflake! Molly Maxwell is the hippest Canadian film of the year, as
first-team feature director Sara St. Onge invites the audience to bust out
their best granny sweaters and listen to some great tunes from the Toronto
indie scene as they join Molly Maxwell on a streetcar ride around the city. Molly Maxwell could have easily gone
into icky territory with its risqué story of a teacher-student relationship
between Molly and teacher Ben, but St. Onge finds the sweetness behind their
actions and shows how innocently one can cross the line. The strong performances
by Lola Tash and Charlie Carrick as Molly and Ben, respectively, handle this unconventional
love story with the utmost care.
9. Tales from the Organ Trade
(Dir. Ric Esther Bienstock)
The ballsy documentary Tales
from the Organ Trade raises some unexpectedly profound questions as
director Ric Esther Bienstock follows the route of the black market kidney
trade from recipient to donor. The investigation leads the film across the
globe and introduces a myriad of players. The most shocking thing about this
story is how, despite the element of criminality noted in each thread, the
players in the deal all note how they benefitted from the transaction. The
film, smartly narrated by body horror baron David Cronenberg, asks some
difficult, yet essential questions, as it invites us to re-examine our
definitions of morality and criminality: if such a web of illegal activity
saves a handful of lives, could compensated donation not save even more?
10. The Husband
(Dir. Bruce McDonald)
Bruce McDonald’s The
Husband is a most unconventional love story. Maxwell McCabe-Lokos offers a
great performance in the title role as Henry, a cuckold who is tasked with
being a single parent when his wife (Sarah Allen) is put in the slammer for
statutory rape ’cuz her baby daddy’s a minor. This darkly funny character study
is a smart, atypical deconstruction of masculinity as Henry sets himself on a
quest of manning-up and getting his mojo back by getting even. McDonald mixes
subtle humour with slapstick farce as Henry’s odyssey measures the true test of
a man.
Honourable Mentions: Alphée of the Stars, The Conspiracy, The Disappeared, Hi-ho Mistahey!, Our Man in Tehran, Picture Day, Vic + Flo Saw a Bear
The Best Short Films of 2013:
1. Mary & Myself
(Dir. Sam Decoste)
This droll tale of two old friends finds great power in its
amusing animation, but offers an even greater dramatic turn in the still images
that punctuate the film.
2. We Wanted More
(Dir. Stephen Dunn)
An homage to monstrous motherhood, We Wanted More offers a tale of psychological horror worthy of the
films to which it pays tribute.
3. Gloria Victoria
(Dir. Theodore Ushev)
Gloria Victoria is
a maddening mosaic of iconography and a satirical symphony of wartime propaganda.
4. A Grand Canal
(Dir. Johnny Ma)
This skillful film deftly blurs the lines between drama and
documentary, and life and art.
5. Just as I Remember
(Dir. Andrew Moir)
A moving story of family bonds as director Andrew Moir uses
one family to interrogate his relationship to his own.
(Dir. Claire Blanchet)
This storybook noir
is a true original. Author Heather O’Neill playfully narrates this darkly whimsical
adaptation of her short story.
7. Foxed!
(Dir. James Stewart and Nev Bezaire)
Foxed! would
probably offer a great double-bill with The
End of Pinky as it turns the bedtime fable on its head with some dark yet dazzling animation.
8. Yellow Sticky Notes | Canadian Anijam
(Dir. Jeff Chiba Stearns and friends)
A roster of artists displays the full spectrum of Canadian
animation talent as they each animate a single diary entry using nothing other
than a black marker and some yellow sticky notes.
9. Soup of the Day
(Dir. Lynn Smith)
This zesty and mouth-watering ditty will have you singing “Bon appétit!”
10. Impromptu
(Dir. Bruce Alcock)
This jazzy flick is a minimalist tribute to the joy
of sharing food and friends.
What are your favourite Canadian films of 2013?
Also in the Year in Review:
Up next: The Best Performances of 2013!
