CTT 2007

Denys Arcand’s bleak, comical view of what our future might be if we continue the way we are is nothing short of a masterpiece. This movie is hilarious not because it couldn’t possibly be true; not because the satire is SO big and impossible that we can’t help but laugh, but in fact because this future that he’s projected is so close to the everyday lives we lead that you have to laugh to keep from crying.

This movie is the third in his ‘Social Comment’ trilogy which has also included Le Declin de l’Empire Americain* (Decline of the American Empire) and Les Invasions Barbares (The Barbarian Invasions), and the story follows Jean-Marc LeBlanc as he stumbles through his sterile life where his wife is constantly attached to both her cellular-telephone-headset-that-is-not-not-a-Bluetooth and her hand-held video-games; his daughters who don’t seem to know that he’s there; his mother whose dementia does not allow for her to interact with him any longer; and his micro-managing boss who seems so lost in her own job that she doesn’t care what happens to her workers, so long as they work and obey. As we follow him through this mundane, not-so-different-from-own-own life, we also get to see the rich inner life that he has, through a series of fantasy vignettes, all interesting, all exciting, all grandiose, and all filled with exciting sex or companionship of a beautiful lady, depending on how he’s feeling.

The amazing thing about this film is that as we follow Jean-Marc through his troubles it reminds us of our own. It doesn’t do this in a way that terrifies or depresses us, but in a way that makes us feel as though we’re not alone. We’re not as crazy as we think we are, we’re only just as crazy as everyone else is. And what’s more, this film has a very significant sense of Canadian identity, although not the kind of pretentious ‘identity’ that has made us turn away from it. More than that it was simply unapologetically Canadian. (I know! How crazy is that!?!?!?)

The production values on this movie were excellent and the cast was fantastic. Satrie is hard to pull of, but not one of these performers didn’t believe it for a second. The most surprising of the players was Diane Kruger, who you will know from Troy and both of the National Secrets movies, and I sincerely hope that she isn’t only in this movie because she’s going out with Pacey.

I have not seen the other two movies in this trilogy and I generally shy from movies I have to read (save your emails, I know how bad that is…) but based on this movie alone, I’m prepared to declare Denys Arcand one of our most valuable Canadian properties. I can’t wait to see what he does next. Excuse me while I run to the video store and rent the other two….

*Please forgive my lack of ‘accents’ on these words. I’m a simple girl and I don’t know how to make my keyboard do that for me….