A young man without direction gets a severe cancer diagnosis. He decides to buy a motorcycle and take a long-distance trip to figure out a few things.
One Week features Ben Tyler (Joshua Jackson) is a would-be author working as a teacher. His bride-to-be Samantha Pierce (Liane Balaban) doesn't like motorcycles and wants him not to take the trip.
Tyler leaves his home in Toronto and drives westward.
The Canadian icons are sprinkled throughout the film. Tyler uses inspiration from the Tim Hortons Roll up the Rim contest. He runs into a couple of young men on a beer bet to cycle from Newfoundland to Vancouver. They are searching for a Canadian Tire in Parry Sound. Even in a Canadian road trip film, his trip misses eastern Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces.
These might seem like product placements like we've saw in the final season of Being Erica. They feel a lot more authentic.
Gord Downie plays someone who has had cancer. The Terry Fox statue in Thunder Bay, Ontario, the place where his run ended. The Stanley Cup.
Ben has a few adventures along the way. We get to see a lot of different areas of Canada.
Trying to find the quintessential Canadian film
See Canada through Canadian road films
Jay Baruchel MADE road trip takes us through Canada for Canadian content
Michael McGowan takes us through the question of fight or flight and has us choose flight and then maybe, when he's ready, fight. Samantha is the beacon of fight. Ben doesn't necessarily want flight but finds that better than the prospect of fighting.
McGowan is focused on what one can learn through flight and perhaps how we need to think through everything else before engaging in the fight.
He uses a narrator, voiced by the calming Campbell Scott, son of the Canadian-born actor Colleen Dewhurst. The cast features musicians as actors such as Downie, Joel Plaskett, and Emm Gryner. The all-Canadian soundtrack includes Great Lake Swimmers, Wintersleep, Sam Roberts, Patrick Watson, Sunparlour Players, Stars, Lights, and Luke Doucet.
One Week can be seen as a simple travel film with mild adventures and gorgeous scenery. The 2008 film can also be seen as an exploration of someone finding out about themselves through travel and experience.
They say Canadians don't know their own country. One Week can help be their guide through most of Canada.
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
One Week is serious enough to be engaging in its story yet easy enough to watch and take in the scenery. The acting is good and brings you into the conversation over fight vs. flight.
Joshua Jackson dominates the film. Jackson won Best Actor at the 2010 Genie Awards. Balaban was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
video credit: YouTube/Mongrel Media
photo credit: One Week film
Comments