| Loyal reader Tatsuhiko Hasegawa wrote in recently, pointing out that, with the exception of Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter (2000), Canadian film is seriously under-represented in my Video Vulture column. Thanks for your letter, Tatsuhiko, but I should point out that this omission is not due to my disregard for the CRTC guidelines, but partially due to my ignorance of any guidelines whatsoever.
I don’t know what I’m gonna write next, folks – I’m flying by the seat of my pants here. Occasionally I’ll try to write a column based on careful planning, but then I’ll get distracted by a small shiny object and forget what I was doing. Besides, I have written about many Canadian films, even if I didn’t make their country of origin abundantly clear. (In my zeal to report on wonderfully bizarre films, I often neglect to report little details like that, or the fact that a film is subtitled, black-and-white, silent, animated, etc. Hey, whaddaya want from me – journalism?)
Nevertheless, I now realize that I haven’t made it clear just how much I love Canadian film. This simply won’t do. I am a Canadian film nut. It’s a topic I’ll blather on about for hours to any poor soul who shows the slightest glimmer of interest. When CBC started broadcasting its Cinema Canada series, I ran around badgering people not only to watch it, but also to record it every week, and phone me the next day to yak about how cool it was.
I have fond memories of attending a Canadian Film Festival at Esso Plaza, back when it was a nine-screen multiplex with an admission price of $1 per show. It was here that I discovered Guy Maddin’s magnificent Archangel (1990), and had the pleasantly surreal experience of being the only audience member at a screening of The Quarrel (1991).
To repeat: Canadian film rocks. I vibrate with excitement every time I hear about a new movie from a genius auteur like John Paizs, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin, David Cronenberg or Denys Arcand (not to mention animators like John Weldon, Richard Condie and Cordell Barker). I am held spellbound whenever a movie shows me a familiar face, location, setting or idiosyncrasy unique to my people. Disrespectful comments towards our film industry as a whole fill me with rage (which I then silently choke down, in true Canadian fashion.)
My feelings and observations on the subject of Canadian cinema would fill a book, and there just isn’t enough space left here to do it justice. Instead, I command you to read Katherine Monk’s Weird Sex & Snowshoes (and other Canadian film phenomena) which is a brilliant book that addresses the subject much better than I ever could.
I’m running out of space, so let’s move on to this week’s movie.
Karmina 2 (2001) is a French-Canadian vampire comedy I dug out of a Blockbuster clearance bin about a month ago. It’s alternate promotional title is K2, causing needless confusion, since a mediocre mountain-climbing adventure bearing that title came out in 1992. In fact, the store put the latter film in the box by mistake, and I had to return and hunt through the bin before I finally got my 99 cents worth. It was worth the effort, though. Karmina 2 is a terrifically entertaining romp that showcases many of the virtues I love about Canadian cinema.
The unique premise is that vampires secretly live among us in peace and harmony, thanks to a magic potion that curbs their thirst for blood. The ingredients of this potion grow in Quebec, so nerdy but benevolent Quebecois vampire Ghislain (Gildor Roy) brews the stuff and exports it to his undead family members in Transylvania. All goes well until Ghislain’s neurotic human wife Linda (Diane Lavallee) gets upset over Ghislain’s refusal to turn her into a vampire (and therefore a true "lifelong" companion for the immortal nebbish). After a particularly bitter argument, the frustrated wife kicks Ghislain out of the house. Heartbroken, Ghislain neglects his potion-distributing duties, and hangs out with fellow reformed vampire Vlad (Yves Pelletier), while Linda succeeds in becoming a vampire, and gets into all sorts of nocturnal mischief. Meanwhile, the potion supply in Transylvania runs dangerously low, and the desperate vampires send sexy Karmina (Isabelle Cyr), along with her husband and infant child, to investigate.
Different from anything you’ve seen before, and filled to the brim with poutine-scented Canadianisms, Karmina 2 is a rare treat for anglophones and francophones alike. In it, Canadians are depicted as flawed but well-meaning architects of peace, both locally and abroad. Even vicious monsters are shown to be capable of (and eager for) redemption, while their baser instincts are both struggled against and forgivable. Given the choice, these vampires would rather befriend their human neighbours than feed on them. One ejects the tape or disc with a big smile, and an overwhelming eagerness to watch the original Karmina (1996), which is reportedly much better, but has sadly eluded my grasp thus far. |
Copyright ©2004 FFWD. All rights reserved.