Roadkill (1989)

You won't be disappointed!

To me, this movie is perfection.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Ramona (Valerie Buhagiar) is a meek worker at a Toronto record label. The rock band 'Children of Paradise' has gone off the deep end in Northern Ontario. The record label chief wants to terminate their tour. Ramona insists on going north to find them for her job despite not knowing how to drive. It's a strange odyssey. The lead singer Matthew has disappeared. On the road, she encounters various characters including roadkill filmmaker Bruce Shack (Bruce McDonald) and aspiring serial killer Russell (Don McKellar).This is a black and white cult Canadian indie rock independent movie. It starts with a compelling guerrilla filming of the Toronto Passion Play. Director Bruce McDonald has a sizable supporting role. He's not a good actor but often, an indie can't find good enough actors. This does have the intriguing Buhagiar and the wonderful McKellar. She is able to hold the center and he has some brilliant turns. I wish he is in more of the movie. There is great indie music from the era and this is utterly memorable.

This is one of those films I think I might end up spending the rest of my life trying to get a copy of. I saw it when I was about 18 by sheer luck of turning on the TV at the right time - late night when Channel 4 was still good (UK moan there, sorry everyone else). It is a superb film, one of those that lodges in your mind forever after one viewing. I don't want to risk a spoiler here, but it's a road movie OK? The journey is the story and all that. The central character is sympathetic and pushing her limits as a person but not lost and hopeless, the characters you meet along the way are all interesting and strange, pursuing their own fates. The photography (B+W in 1989), characters and plot give the whole thing an other worldly feel that is very engaging and for general not-corny quirkiness this film must rate highly. Also, the landscape of Canada (man-made and natural) plays a big part in what I remember of the film.

Rough and raw in the best sense. Delightfully quirky, damned funny, with the odd, faintly haunting moment worked in. My thought a few years ago, seeing it in a video store was, okay, I remember it got my attention first time round in the theatre, but this was ten years ago; what happens if I rent it and see it again?Answer: it holds up quite well. Yes, the very raw (read 'cheap') production values shine through everywhere; this is part of the fun, after a while. The rough black and white footage makes rural Northern Ontario look properly bleak (and occasionally sinister -- hey, I grew up there; and trust me -- it's appropriate), and, at times, coldly beautiful. Buhagiar is deliciously bemused throughout as the stranger in a (very) strange land, and McKellar's wannabe serial killer is an absolute scream (listen for the line about upward mobility, hockey, crime, and weak ankles; I'll avoid spoiling it for you).It's probably blasphemy to some fans' ears to say it (it's McDonald, it's rock 'n roll, and you're not really supposed to take any of these things too seriously), but on some levels, this is almost a film of substance despite itself, if you go looking for it. Again, it's partly the atmosphere: the melancholy question -- "whatinhell are we all doing here anyway, and exactly why are we bothering, again?" -- a question naturally posed by the area -- works its way in at the edges of the frame. The response of the lead singer of the fictional "Children of Paradise" -- to shut up entirely, and suffer the absurdity of it all without comment, from behind haunted, hollow eyes -- actually makes a fair bit of sense, given the environment.The dialogue is weak through much of it, and not always much helped by the sometimes amateurish delivery, but there are some brilliant moments. Co-writer McKellar, who, in my view, hit his stride with the quietly apocalyptic (see it; I'm not explaining here) *Last Night*, was still working on his game here (and McDonald, honestly, I've always found a little lean this way). But there are definite flashes of great things to come.The soundtrack's got an eclectic thing going for it. As with all three films in the loose 'trilogy' this one started (see also Highway 61, Hard Core Logo), this is a film about rock 'n roll, and is something of a document in this respect -- it features songs by the Cowboy Junkies, the Ramones, and Nash the Slash, to name a prominent few.Overall, a strange sort of Northern Ontario travelogue -- but not exactly the Chamber of Commerce version. More the "come here if you like cold bleak scenery, and consider running over animals a sport" version. Highly recommended, if you're looking for something distinctive, memorable, and frequently, amusingly quirky.

'Roadkill' is the second best Canadian rock'n'roll movie ever. The best one, in case you're interested, is 'Hard Core Logo'. Both movies are directed by Bruce McDonald, and it is a pity that very few people outside Canada are familiar with his work. (I'm guessing very few people IN Canada are either, but such is the way of the world...). McDonald's collaborator writer/actor Don McKellar went on to make the brilliant end of the world movie 'Last Night' sans McDonald, but the two make a great team, as this movie, and the equally original and quirky 'Highway 61' show. 'Highway 61's star Valerie Buhagiar also stars here, but in quite a different role, as Ramona, the inexperienced and tentative assistant of a sleazy rock promoter, Roy Seth (Gerry Quigley). Seth sends Ramona on an errand, to round up the Children Of Paradise, a flaky rock band who are making a mess of their tour, and losing him money. As she doesn't drive, she enlists the help of Buddy (Larry Hudson) a chatty cabbie with a million rock'n'roll anecdotes. Ramona and Buddy eventually lose track of each other, and she ends up lost and broke in Ontario, the Children Of Paradise's runaway lead singer nowhere to be found. Ramona's adventures continue, and she makes some strange acquaintances along the way, not least of which Russel the wanna-be serial killer (Don McKellar). This is a very strange, dark and (mostly) unpredictable low budget gem that should appeal to fans of odd films like 'Roadside Prophets', 'Motorama', early Jarmusch and the Coen brothers. It may not be a masterpiece but it's still an overlooked little beauty, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.