LUCIDMEDIA

Let Canada be Canada: Canadian location used famously on film

Written by Nadine Bachan Thursday, 01 October 2009 10:04

While a number of American films shot in Canada have our country double for some locality in the U.S. or elsewhere, it usually takes a Canadian film to let Canada be Canada. Some of the most obvious examples include Strange Brew, Duct Tape Forever, Cool Runnings (well, the stereotypical scenes set in Calgary), Trailer Park Boys: The Movie and its upcoming sequel Countdown to Liquor Day, and Bon Cop Bad Cop. Sure, not every Canadian film is going to be a gold-star-worthy work of cinematic art, but there are several cases that not only featured Canada as a beautiful and diverse backdrop, but also showcased great talents and interesting plots.

One Week (2008)

One of the most explicitly Canadian films in recent times, Michael McGowan’s One Week chronicles the journey of Toronto-based English teacher Ben Tyler (played by well-known Canadian actor Joshua Jackson) who chooses to spend what could be his last days traversing the Great White North on his motorcycle. Along the way, Ben meets several people who share his love of Canada – a hockey player, a backpacker, and surfing tourists among them. From the Canadian prairies to Vancouver Island, several locations are featured, including Banff National Park, Kenora, Medicine Hat, and Wawa. The northern lights, the Pacific Ocean, and a humpback whale also make appearances. To top it off, the soundtrack consists of Canadian artists and bands including Sam Roberts, Lights, Gordon Downie, and Stars. The Canadian-ness of One Week definitely sparks feelings of national pride and calls out to the hopeful road-tripper in us all.

New Waterford Girl (1999)

One of my favourite films, this coming-of-age story, set in the 70s, is about a young girl who feels trapped by her town and its mentalities and it should be considered a Canadian classic. Moonie Pottie lives in New Waterford, Nova Scotia with her parents and four siblings. Moonie, a talented writer, is motivated by her teacher, but her hopes of going away to study in New York City are discouraged by everyone else. When a family from the Big Apple moves into the house next door, Moonie finds a friend and a possible plan to leave what she believes to be the dreariest place to live. However bleak the main character’s perspective is, it’s impossible not to see the natural beauty of the coastal town. The loveable characters, as well as the witty and charming depiction of small-town life make this film an example of Canadian cinema at its finest.

The films of Atom Egoyan

Since 1984, Atom Egoyan has made 11 films, at least half being filmed and set in locations across Canada. The more notable of these films are Exotica (1994) and The Sweet Hereafter (1997).

Exotica is a multi-faceted, character-driven story about relationships, loss, intimacy, and obsession starring Bruce Greenwood, Don McKellar, Elias Koteas, and Mia Kirshner. Most of the scenes take place in a strip club of the same name in Toronto. When not inside the club, the rest of film was shot at locations around the city including Osgoode Hall, the North York region, and the downtown core. While the club used for the film doesn’t actually exist at the location it is depicted to be, a club named Exotica does exist near the west-end suburbs of Etobicoke. I know this because the 191 northbound TTC bus (which I ride to get home) passes by it regularly.

The Sweet Hereafter, filmed and set in British Columbia, tells the story of a town struck by tragedy. Again focused on complex characters (featuring a young Sarah Polley), this film uses the small-town setting to exemplify both community and dysfunction in realistic ways. The original novel’s plot was set in upstate New York, but Egoyan was compelled to change it to the fictional Canadian town and filmed at several locations in BC and Ontario. The Sweet Hereafter went on to receive great praise, several awards, and was nominated for two Oscars: Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Brain Candy (1996)

When the Canadian comedy troupe, The Kids in the Hall, brought an end to their critically-acclaimed sketch show after five seasons, a lot of their fans had their fingers crossed for one last hurrah: a feature film. Sure enough, Brain Candy was released two years later. Although it is never explicitly stated that the events of the film occurs in Toronto, anyone who lives here would easily recognize the streets the neighbourhoods. For example, you can clearly see the waterfront and a Scotiabank branch during an exterior shot. After all, the television show was based in Toronto – setting the film here was just common sense. While most considered Brain Candy to be a flop (which might have been a result of poor marketing and the fact that the troupe was on the verge of their break-up during production), I loved it. I found it clever and amusingly dark – true to KITH form – and a gem for their fans and Torontonians alike.

But as stated above, these days, it’s just as likely for filmmakers to use cities and locales in Canada to depict scenes set in American locations. Filming in Canada is less costly and therefore more appealing to budget weary producers, but I would like to blissfully believe that it’s the charisma and creative magnetism of this country that draws them, not the cost-effectiveness. Here’s a few notables:

*There’s the critical success Capote, where several scenes set in a Kansas state prison were filmed at the Stony Mountain Penitentiary in Manitoba.
*Brokeback Mountain was filmed almost entirely in the Canadian Rockies although it’s set in Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains.
*Much of  the first X-Men was shot in Toronto (Casa Loma, Distillery District, Union Station, Roy Thompson Hall) and Hamilton. And the fact that the character Wolverine is a Canuck definitely gives Canada a few cool points. The sequel, X2, catches up with the clawed-hero as he treks through Alberta, the rest of both the X-Men sequels were shot in Vancouver.
*Director David Cronenberg often films in Canada. The Dead Zone, A History of Violence, Spider, and Naked Lunch were all shot, at least partially, in a Canadian city yet depicted as other parts of the world. However, his controversial 1996 film, Crash, was filmed and set in Toronto.
*Consider the recent hit Juno: Here’s a film made by Canadian director Jason Reitman, starring Canadian actors Ellen Paige and Michael Cera, and shot in Vancouver. You would think that the location of the story would be somewhere in Canada, but Diablo Cody’s screenplay was about a girl from Minnesota and that’s where she remains.

Canada in film is a diverse phenomenon so often reliant on make-believe. Right now, the majority of this country’s involvement in cinema revolves around the ‘it’s-not-Canada’ illusion. And, in typical Canadian hospitality, we invite it. But, once in a while, we get to see our lovely country just as she is – without a disguise. And that’s refreshing, almost thrilling, to see on the big screen. As more and more filmmakers turn their eyes to the north, perhaps over time they will become more likely to work with it rather than try to hide it.