Souvenir of Canada (2005)

While Douglas Coupland works on a grand art project about Canada, the writer recounts his life and his musings about the various aspects of Canadian identity.

Director:

Robin Neinstein

Writers:

Douglas Coupland (book), Barry Stevens

Stars:

Sean Ballantyne, Rob Bird, Douglas Coupland

Cast

Credited cast:
Sean Ballantyne	...	Ad Exec
Rob Bird	...	Young Douglas Coupland (as Robert Bird)
Douglas Coupland	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

As part of a personal artistic statement about Canada, writer Douglas Coupland, takes an old house of vintage Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation design to remodel it into a personal statement of Canadiana. While we see him at work, Coupland tells the story of his life as a youth in Vancouver who became a author who would define a Generation as "X." More importantly, Coupland also gives his take on the various aspects that mark his country's identity such as Distance, French, Terry Fox, Toronto, the Wild and many more. Taken together, Coupland seeks to explain what Canada is with all its beauty and flaws as only a Canadian can do.

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Plot Keywords:

canada | canadian | art project | national identity | autobiographical | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 2005 (Canada)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Media Headquarters, National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min 70 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

More than just a trinket

A true souvenir, that brings fond memories of a Canada that is fading fast. "Pre-nostalgia" -as Coupland describes the sensation. The film is remarkably emotional without being overly sentimental. The honest exposure of his relationships (especially with his parents) and his feelings about being Canadian really resonated with me. I also appreciated how the filmmakers selected and weighted the experiences which are uniquely Canadian. Intelligent and informed commentary leads us through each segment or topic, using a varied number of approaches, most of which are refreshing and integral to the topic. The rhythm of the film is gentle, thoughtful, so Canadian. Lots of laughter, much of it self-deprecating, and a bit of teary eyes. And the most violent scene is a raptor-like excavator crunching its way through a meaningful moment which we have all just shared. Beautiful camera-work. Wonderful music from A.C. Newman, and editing that doesn't miss a beat. And how refreshing to see icons which are intensely meaningful, but not clichés. Right on, eh?