| TIFF's Top 10 Canadian Films | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Film | Director | Year | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner | Zacharias Kunuk | 2001 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Mon Oncle Antoine | Claude Jutra | 1971 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | The Sweet Hereafter | Atom Egoyan | 1997 | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Jésus de Montréal | Denys Arcand | 1989 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Léolo | Jean-Claude Lauzon | 1992 | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | Goin' Down the Road | Don Shebib | 1970 | ||||||||||||||
| 7 | Dead Ringers | David Cronenberg | 1988 | ||||||||||||||
| 8 | C.R.A.Z.Y. | Jean-Marc Vallée | 2005 | ||||||||||||||
| 9 | My Winnipeg | Guy Maddin | 2007 | ||||||||||||||
| 10 (tie) | Stories We Tell | Sarah Polley | 2012 | ||||||||||||||
| 10 (tie) | Les Ordres | Michel Brault | 1974 | ||||||||||||||
Canada's sesquicentennial is an ideal time to reflect on the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) list of Top 10 Canadian films. As we noted yesterday, I have now seen all 11 films on the list.
Goin' Down the Road had been my white whale for some time: the one that got away. Click here to read that review.
Canadian film review: Goin' Down the Road
So on this Canada Day 2017, the sesquicentennial of the founding of the dominion of Canada, we share some insight about these treasured Canadian films.
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner I remember seeing this at an event. I didn’t know much about the indigenous people of Canada when I saw the film. I’m not normally one for quieter films but this was a powerful simple story. I thought about this film when I saw The Necessities of Life. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner helped me with understanding the other film and a small slice of what the indigenous people of Canada have suffered throughout history.
Mon Oncle Antoine I saw this on cable many years ago. Again, a simple coming-of-age story. This was a Quebec that I had little knowledge of back then. Watching Quebec films shot or set in long ago times helps me to understand the history of a people whose license plates read Je me souviens.
The Sweet Hereafter Like Mon Oncle Antoine, I didn’t view this film in the lens of a Canadian film. The more times I see this film, the more of Canada I see in the film. Even with Canadian actors that have crossed over into the States such as Sarah Polley, Bruce Greenwood, and Alberta Watson, people who don’t pay attention to nuances like this film but don’t think of it as being Canadian. This is my go-to film to explain Canadian film to ingenues.
Jésus de Montréal This film came in the height of the Denys Arcand era, though I didn’t see the film until years later. The Decline of the American Empire and The Barbarian Invasions convinced me to see this film from Arcand. This film feels more like a play than a film and its use of space is incredible. For most directors, this would be their best film. I’m more partial to The Decline of the American Empire, but this film is worthy of a Top 10 list.
Léolo Like Mon Oncle Antoine, I saw this on cable many years ago. This film is one of the best fish out of water stories you will find. I knew nothing of Ginette Reno when I saw this film, but she is quite memorable as the mother. A delightful film that positively surprises me this is in the Top 10.
Goin' Down the Road This is the last film on the list that I finally watched. The wait was worthwhile. A very sad film but well-made especially for its time and in English Canada. This film marked a turning point and still greatly deserves its Top 10 position even after all these years.
Dead Ringers David Cronenberg is a certifiable genius and Dead Ringers is no exception. This film introduced some Americans to Genevieve Bujold. We can’t forget the brief scene with Jill and Jacqueline Hennessy. While Jeremy Irons is not Canadian, he is sufficiently creepy in the dual role. How the subject matter is handled feels very Canadian.
C.R.A.Z.Y. This is my favourite on the list. Jean-Marc Vallée’s use of music and alienation makes this a beautiful film to watch. When you’ve seen where Vallee is now in directing American films, your heart will break knowing there could have been more films such as this one and Café de Flore. If you are young and gay or in a category where you are severely misunderstood, you will love this film.
My Winnipeg Guy Maddin’s films are memorable. While The Saddest Music in the World is Maddin’s most accessible film, My Winnipeg stands up as a documentary with fictional elements mixed in about a city in a part of Canada usually ignored. My own perception of Winnipeg after finally getting there was significantly different than what Maddin had on the screen, but I did try and see the city through his eyes. The only other time I pulled off a similar vision was Federico Fellini in Rome. High praise indeed.
Stories We Tell Like My Winnipeg, this Sarah Polley film is a documentary that takes a few liberties to tell a story. The mix of an actress playing her mother gives us a blended film from a director who is trying to bring back a mother she lost when she was 11. Ultimately, this is the story of Diane Polley along with the stories of the survivors. I’m more partial to Take This Waltz but Polley proves to weave stories well in this documentary form.
Les Ordres When I saw this film many years ago, I had to keep telling myself this was based on what happened in real life. This film highlighted the anger that people in Quebec in 1970 were being rounded up. Michel Brault gives us a very stark vision of the lives of people who suddenly found themselves in jail after the FLQ kidnappings. When people speak of “reality” in TV these days, this film is almost too real in a really real presentation. This film will make you angry but this film is so well-done.
TIFF ranks top Canadian films
Trying to find the quintessential Canadian film
The TIFF Top 10 Canadian films of all time has been updated a few times since the original 1984 list. Updates have come in 1993, 2004, and 2015. Films have disappeared from the list while others come along. Xavier Dolan should have a film in the next update.
The list is also designed to be a cross-section between English and French, fiction and documentary. And of course, I have a personal Top 10 of my sentimental Canadian film favourites that we will save for another time.
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
Take Canada Day and the long weekend on both sides of the border to relax and watch a few Canadian films. The TIFF list is an excellent vantage point but feel free to expand the wide spectrum of Canadian film to fit your interests.
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