In the lead up to the 7th Canadian Film Festival in Australia (August 2012), join us as we countdown the Top 100 Canadian Films of the past 30 years. We'll be posting one film a day leading up to Canada Day on July 1st 2012. Do you agree with our staff favourites? Let us know your thoughts!
A series of strange thought experiments. An archivist in search of meaning. A mysterious call centre with a geo-locating agenda. A door that shouldn’t be there. Strung together, these cryptic vignettes construct a labyrinthine narrative; a brain teaser both cerebral and playful. Who are we? Where are we going? To what extent do experience, memory, the subconscious and the intricate inner-workings of the mind determine the answers?
You Are Here is an experimental meta-fiction about finding identity and purpose in a self-regulating world which hardly seems to need us anymore. Like an invitation to journey within a life-sized map of the human brain peopled with odd but endearing characters, it explores the very nature of consciousness. Formally and intellectually adventurous, it’s a rather thrilling puzzle to solve.
It’s also strangely moving. This is due in part to a touching performance by Tracy Wright, our human connection to the disembodied narrative (Wright, sadly, passed away shortly after the film’s completion). We’re also emotionally affected by its ability to address the anxiety we feel, faced with a world accelerating at a rate which threatens to outpace man’s ability to philosophically process these changes.
Acclaimed video artist Daniel Cockburn’s first feature is a brainy, humorous, philosophical challenge, and that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Far from the expensive ambitions of Inception or Charlie Kaufman’s faux-experimental narratives, this actually demands work from the audience. Those who find such a request reasonable, however, will be handsomely rewarded.
-Matt Ravier
“Inventive and multi-layered, You Are Here is a brilliantly organized first feature full of philosophical ideas and tremendous energy.” –(Canadian director, Atom Egoyan)
You Are Here premiered at the 6th Possible Worlds Film Festival in 2011.
To see the other films in the countdown so far, click here.