Cross Cut: English-language Canadian films lack a distinct identity

In film editing, crosscutting is the technique of cutting between actions occurring at the same time, but in different locations. In Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world, foreign cinema rarely takes the spotlight from the plethora of local releases. Columnist Eileen Li discovers foreign cinema screenings in the L.A. area each week, placing them in context of their native country.

On Netflix, there is no subcategory for Canadian cinema under the broad category of foreign films.

Despite Canada’s distinct culture and heritage, the country’s export cinema is not as easily identifiable as those of other nations. Canadian French-language cinema, produced in the province of Quebec, achieves much more success in box offices and film festivals than English-language Canadian films, both at home and abroad.

English-language Canadian cinema must compete with American films for the English-speaking Canadian viewership. While Canada is also very active in co-producing films with other countries, these films rarely contain recognizable Canadian elements.

Four of the films on the Toronto International Film Festival’s list of 10 best Canadian films of 2014 are French-language and four others are collaborative projects with other countries. It is important for Canadian cinema to maintain a balance between French-language and English-language film, as both are important for a healthy culture.

Xavier Dolan’s “Mommy,” which won a Jury Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, is one of the four French-language Canadian films. It is currently playing at the Landmark theater.

“Mommy” centers on the relationship between a mother, her 15-year-old son with ADHD and a kind, mousy neighbor. When her son, Steve (Antoine-Olivier Pilon) is expelled from a specialized care facility, Diane (Anne Dorval) attempts to both manage her son’s violent behavior and work small jobs for income.

Former teacher Kyla (Suzanne Clément) begins to babysit and tutor Steve, taking some of the burden off Diane. The trio bond over time but Diane continues to face challenges inherent in raising a child like Steve, including a lawsuit filed by an angry parent whose child was seriously burned as a result of Steve’s pranks. She grapples with the option of giving him up to state care.

As a whole, French-language Canadian films like “Mommy” are better received in the box office than are English-language Canadian films. The Canadian film with the highest box office so far has been “Bon Cop, Bad Cop,” a bilingual film about a Quebecois cop and Ontarian cop who must work together to solve a murder that has occurred on the border between the two provinces. It was well received in the province of Quebec, which lists French as its official language.

On the other hand, audiences in provinces with English as official language – every province other than Quebec – tend to prefer American blockbuster films to English-language Canadian films, which generally have much lower budgets.

In 2014, for example, the top 10-grossing films in Canada were identical to the top 10-grossing films in the United States.

Together, these two preferences create a challenge for English-language Canadian cinema.

This does not, however, mean that there is no market in Canada for English-language Canadian films. Aside from mildly successful narrative films, the country produces niche fare including in-depth regional documentaries and low-budget art house films, none of which receive wide distribution outside of the Canadian film festival network.

English-language Canadian films are also difficult to identify because several of them are co-productions between Canada and other countries. “Maps to the Stars” a 2014 satirical story by Canadian director David Cronenberg and starring American actors including Julianne Moore, received more international attention than do most Canadian films. However, it is an American-Canadian production and does not contain any recognizable Canadian elements in terms of landmarks, cast or culture.

Currently, English-language Canadian films must either accept limited exposure to niche filmgoers only or develop new strategies to reinforce their identity. They can do this by making recognizable Canadian elements – including actors, cultural references, location and topical themes – a more central feature of co-productions, so that they are easily linked to Canada.

Canada can also develop its film distribution system so that the country’s films reach a wider audience. In Quebec, for example, a system is in place that ensures that French-language films take priority over English-language films in theaters.

While Canada has made great contributions to world cinema through involvement in co-productions, it would further consolidate its position in world cinema if it brings its English-language films to the same position of success as its French-language films.