I had one Canadian film in my head even back to the time of our 2015 TIFF preview. Combine Canadian politics, Patrick Huard, and Suzanne Clement, and my interest is heightened.
Turns out the film actually exceeded my expectations.
We did draw a parallel to the U.S. film "Swing Vote" based purely on the plot. After seeing both films, you can take the parallel off your mental list. "My Internship in Canada" is a much more layered film.
The film is real when it needs to be real, but allows a bit of overindulgence when needed. The premise is clearly a bit unrealistic: the country is potentially headed to war in the Middle East. Through a series of circumstances, Steve Guibord, Huard's character, is the deciding vote.
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Guibord is helped by his Haitian intern, played delightfully by Irdens Exantus. Suzanne Clement plays Guibord's wife and her character is pro-war. Their daughter Lune, played by Clémence Dufresne-Deslières, is against the war.
The intern suggests Huard's MP character go out and ask the people in his riding. The pro-war movement is tied to jobs, though there isn't a direct correlation. The anti-war movement is peaceniks above anything else.
The fact that Philippe Falardeau, who wrote and directed this film, treats both sides with a cynical eye is an encouraging sight of letting the audience figure out what might happen. You might remember that Falardeau is the same director that brought us "Monsieur Lazhar" where he also wrote the screenplay.
Guibord is swayed in a number of directions, especially the prime minister, who looks and acts a lot like the prime minister at the time this film was made.
The film also spotlights a real northern rural Quebec battle: logging rights vs. land rights of the native Canadians.
The film pokes gentle Canadian humour at all parties and mostly at Guibord. Its heartwarming moments come across as very sincere, something you get with well-written characters.
After having seen Clement doing very dramatic roles in Xavier Dolan films: "I Killed My Mother"; "Laurence Anyways"; and "Mommy." — watching her do comedy was a pleasant non-surprise. Her portrayal as a dominant wife is in huge contrast to the typically meek "sidekick wife" roles American actresses are trapped in far too often.
Huard plays well the seeming meekness of his character, a far cry from the rough exterior we saw in "Bon Cop, Bad Cop" and "Starbuck."
Falardeau gives us outside characters in "My Internship in Canada" and "Monsieur Lazhar" to tell us about Canada. In both films, we appreciate what Canada has from an outside perspective (sort of like, well, this blog).
For a film that is spoofing Canadian politics, the message of the true nature of democracy is a prominent cloud through the film in a light-hearted fashion that teaches us about what democracy means by the time the film ends even if the message isn't dominant through the story.
video credit: YouTube/LesFilms Christal
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