“Does a person ever recover from losing their mom?”
Review: A poignant film which illustrates the end of life story of a parent during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The director, Desjardin, walks the audience through his mother’s (Madeleine) end of life story in Quebec. Vintage photographs greet the audience and provide a nod to a woman who demonstrated love and care to her family over her lifetime. The director, has been in love with his mother since a child and documents her last moments with a care that will leave you experiencing smiles and sorrow. The audience bears witness to Madeleine’s deterioration and her children’s struggle to advocate for her care within the Quebec healthcare system. Their story becomes emblematic of the rest of the country and its shocking failure to take care of our elderly. If you have lost a parent, a loved one or know of an elderly individual – this film provides a vivid snapshot into their end of life stories. A must see.
“Director Vinícius Girnys shapes moments that speak to the changing pulse of a previously secluded Paraty in a film that is poetic and understated in its observations, and that offers a portrait of contemporary Brazilian life as experienced—emotionally, spiritually and materially—through the ever-inescapable currents of capital and globalization.”
Review: Samuel and the Light documents a Brazilian family’s life which changes as the result of the introduction to electricity and the tourism industry into their hometown. The beautiful still snapshots could have a home in a museum of photographs. Reflective scenes say so much to the audience without muttering a word. These scenes are nestled throughout the documentary as pebbles on a road. The film illustrates the effects of industrialization on a family, third relationships with one another and their children’s development. A perfect film to watch in between heavier ones – this is a contemplative and deeply moving screening.
“An exploration of a symbiotic inter-species relationship that prompts us to ask ourselves where we draw the line between man and animal.”
Review: The audience visits with a Finnish hermit who investigates the lives of the endangered lynx. His deep love for the species goes well beyond his terms of endearment for them – instead listen closely to his whispers through remotely hidden videos. The director, Juha Suonpää, has found a gold mine subject in Hannu. Between the beautifully shot imagery of wildlife interacting in their life space and rooster feathered adorned cameras, festooned camouflage tree ornaments and mirrors – smiles will emerge on your face throughout this film. Hannu gives National Geographic a run for their money when he packs away his social location as a human and instead weaves in his alter ego as a lynx. Hannu lingers upon imagery projected onto his property that he has filmed with the help of Juha which leaves the audience rooting for his life’s work. A perfect film to linger upon and consider with a full heart and a cup of tea in the theatre. A hidden gem.
“Valentina Cicogna and Mattia Colombo follows anatomic pathologist Cristina Cattaneo in her fight for every person’s right to identity.”
Review: Cattaneo labels the bodies of those killed attempting to cross the sea from Africa to Europe as “pure unknowns”. When Cattaneo receives the bodies in her lab, she has no indication of the identity of the cadavers beyond their clothes and markings on their bodies. The audience are taught alongside Cattaneo’s students what to look for in creating an identity snapshot for the “pure unknowns”. This job proves to be emotionally, mentally, and physically draining for her students and the audience. Cattaneo holds the grief and loss in her face, but her strength is effervescent. As the audience digs deeper into the life of Cattaneo within the film, we see the ghosts of the “pure unknowns” lingering. Cattaneo’s point of view is illustrated as she walks her dogs, watches the news of new migrant horrors, while contemplating how she can offer those pure unknowns in her charge a respectful end to their lives. A tough watch, but noteworthy.
“What if from one day to the next, you’re no longer seen, but instead are stared at? The leading characters in All You See have ended up in a new world where suddenly nothing seems to align. In their new lives in the Netherlands, they unintentionally provoke reactions on a daily basis. Even after many years, they still hear the same questions over and over again: where are you from, do you speak Dutch, do you tan in the sun?”.
Review: The feeling of being erased when you have just arrived in a new country must be such an incredibly painful experience. The portraiture explored within the lives of a woman from Iran, young children from England illustrate their despair buried within moments of bravery. Hearing daily commentary and questions from Dutch citizens, both young and old, speaks to how with curiosity comes irreparable harm that is driven deeply into the minds, bodies, and souls of the subjects. Told in an interview style, we also bear witness to the subjects in their individual life space while also seeing the wounds that beat inside of their physical and emotional dwellings. Challenging. Complex.
As we glide into the spring and consider some new reflection points for the year, consider gathering your meditative thoughts with the Canadian Opera Company’s operatic adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth, from Verdi. Verdi’s timeless cautionary tale runs for seven performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on April 28, 30, and May 6, 12, 14, 17, and 20, 2023.
This performance is unlike other COC performances. This performance will encourage you to reflect on your losses and learning gleaned from those experiences.
A starting point to this reflection is seen in the performance of Quinn Kelsey. Kelsey is an American baritone and inhabits the title role of Macbeth. His performance is luxurious, demanding, emotional, and oozing with a silken appeal. Bulgarian soprano Alexandrina Pendatchanska shares the role of Lady Macbeth with Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska. Pendatchanska (singing April 28, 30, May 6, and 12). Pendatchanska’s performance brought the house down with applause and tears on numerous occasions during opening night. The audience were deeply affected by both of these artists’ performances. Think effervescent, transformative and stomach dropping delicious. Jeers of “Bravo” and hard claps echoed in the performance milieu after both Kelsey and Pendatchanska performances. Kelsey and Pendatchanska are two operatic forces to be reckoned with. They are a must see and hear!
Macbeth’s eventual nemesis Macduff is performed by Canadian tenor and Ensemble Studio graduate Matthew Cairns. Canadian tenor and Ensemble Studio graduate Adam Luther sings the role of Malcolm, heir to the King of Scotland; Ensemble Studio graduate and bass-baritone Vartan Gabrielian takes on the role of Doctor, and Canadian soprano Tracy Cantin is cast as Lady-in-Waiting. These artists beam light into the darkness of the opulent staging. Their layered performances continue to build upon the artistic offerings from Kelsey and Pendatchanska. As you breathe in the performance, watch each artist closely. Many Easter eggs are hidden within the staging. The nuances to the artist’s performances go well beyond their vocals. From handshakes, to twirls of a gown, to the stomping and slamming of doors, and to the striking of a candelabra onto Macbeth’s head. The presence of bodies taken away, buried in the floorboards, and only somewhat forgotten takes the audience further into the gloom of the staging’s milieu.
The dark chapel provides the atmosphere of dreariness and an isolation which is reminiscent of what the audience has witnessed during the pandemic. We have been there! The detailing is exquisite. From a backdrop that looks like a painting of a barn that greets us upon entering the space, a chapel which looks like a church down the street from the venue, the vintage chapel pews, celebratory bunting and a last supper table brewing with pints, and warm food – be ready for a feast that goes well beyond your ears. The nods towards good and evil are further enhanced with brooding colours of black and maroon from costume designer Moritz Junge. The costuming included of vintage tartans, opulent suiting, grieving black dresses, crowns, jewels, and child like frocks provided subtle invitations to get lost in Macbeth’s world. The lighting designer, David Finn, used fire, shadows, fluttering blips of light through windows and doorways to create a shadowy underworld of betrayal, punctuated by a fiery moment of drama. It is truly hard to look away at this spectacle. There is so much going on within tiny vignettes of time.
The gem of the Macbeth performance lies in the presence of Italian conductor Speranza Scappucci. Scappucci highlights Verdi’s Shakespearean opera composition while also magnifying this complex, diverse, and magical piece in participation with the support of the COC Orchestra. The COC Orchestra has their work cut out for them in this production. The highs, lows, the sheer forces of pain and sadness detonate the audience’s ears but move them into considering new perspectives within the Macbeth storyline. Moments including of the three witch children emulating The Ring poses of backward walking and ghostly apparitions was further illustrated alongside the COC Orchestra’s performance pieces. The creepiness filled the air and our bones with each note. A perfect send off to a shivery thunderstorm that greeted the audience upon leaving the venue for the night.
Be sure to catch Macbeth this spring season. Ensure you layer up for the performance. As you move through each scene, you may find yourself considering which layer is worth leaving behind in your seat as you fall in love with Macbeth’s trance on stage.
Macbeth is sung in Italian and presented by the COC with English SURTITLES™.
“To be born Indigenous, is to be born with resistance in your blood”. (Puyr)
Review: We Are Guardians provides an emotional snapshot into the stories that breathe within the Amazon Rainforest. We Are Guardians is filmed like a glorious watercolour painting with the Amazon Rainforest as a backdrop. Within the painting, we are introduced to the Indigenous forest guardian Marçal Guajajara and activist Puyr Tembé as they fight to protect their territories from deforestation, an illegal logger who has no choice but to cut the forest down, and a large landowner at the mercy of thousands of invaders and extractive industry. Their stories provide deep insight into the vulnerability of the Amazon Rainforest and those who are seeking to protect it at all costs versus those who are looking to take more than what they need. Indigenous storytelling envelops this documentary from a lens of love, ancestral rights, protection of the land, and spirituality. Indigenous stories intersect with those of settlers and their arguments situated in politics, history, economics, science, and consciousness. A layered portrait into globalization, deforestation and the individuals and lands scarred by its gains. A must see.
Filmmaker Laura Gabbert (City of Gold) teams with Ruth Reichl (an American chef, food writer and editor) to tell an expansive history behind an ever-more consolidating food industry. The film covers a rich cultural spectrum, from fine dining rooms to farmlands, discovering passionate, inspirational change makers along the way.
Review: As the pandemic rumbles outside her small cottage window, Ruth Reichl, meets with farmers, ranchers, and chefs over Zoom as they grapple to keep their businesses afloat. The documentary asks the viewer to consider the impact of the cheap eats that we enjoy, while ignoring independent businesses who may provide healthier fare. Reichl speaks to concerned voices whose produce we may have silently encountered in our local grocery stores. This documentary will encourage you to reflect deeply on how we choose to eat, whom we purchase produce from, and how envision our agricultural future in Canada and aboard. Through Reichl’s eyes, we learn to understand the humanity and struggle behind the food we eat. Stunning.
“Making this film has been a wild and completely unexpected journey that took me and the crew to far-flung lands, where Dracula had roamed, or where Druids may have worshipped at Stonehenge or to Salem, where witches were hunted ruthlessly,” says Director Rama Rau. “Witch hunts have always been about men’s fear of women. Making this film is a necessary act, so women can take back their power and re-tell their stories with magic, language and memory.”
Review: “Wicca is not a democracy. It is a benevolent dictatorship”, says High Priestess Anne Marie Greymoon. The documentary articulates the power of the goddess as the giver of life. Questions asked by the High Priestess to newcomers provide meaningful discussion points to reflect upon such as being naked among others and the use of hallucinogenic drugs – but there is far more towards the journey within the coven. Monica Bodirsky suggests, “it is important to connect with our past. We have held pagan practices before pre-organized religion. When we connect with our ancestry, we can understand earth based practices and put them in a contemporary context. Paganism comes from a deep connection to the earth.” Compelling.
“One of the most sensational cases regarding a former child soldier, Dominic Ongwen, was finally settled in December 2022 at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Dominic Ongwen was abducted at the age of 9 by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), which has ravaged northern Uganda for decades. He was then forced to be a child soldier, rising through the ranks until he became a high ranking officer just under controversial leader, Joseph Kony. Ongwen is the only LRA officer on trial in The Hague, while Joseph Kony remains at large.”
Review: The two directors argue, “Ongwen’s defence lawyer, Krispus Ayena, is the film’s protagonist, but our film should not be seen as an attempt to justify his client. Rather, we use the trial as a framework to describe the progression Ongwen had to go through, from being abducted at the age of 9 to ending up as a feared commander of the very rebel group that abducted him and killed his parents.” The documentary argues if Ongwen is a victim or perpetrator. The viewer is privy to the strategic planning involved in arguing both sides of this deeply troubling case. Reflect deeply on the impact of spiritualism as a form of indoctrination on the mind of Ongwen as you consider this documentary. A question to consider whilst reflecting on this film could be, how do we ensure that justice is done, both for the victims of civil war, but also for the accused, who in this case is a victim himself? Challenging. Complex. Visually stunning.
Thirty Four Flavours 