Identité suspecte

Finally, after the many Maclean's articles, bad word of mouth, and even rejection by its own director, Picture Claire was finally released to the public in June 2003, via DVD and Video.

I'm puzzled to see how Alliance Atlantis considered "Texas Rangers" to be worthy of a wide release, while they chose to write off their $11 million investment in the first decently-budgeted Canadian film.

With a pair such as Semi Chellas, who writes "The Eleventh Hour" series on CTV, and Bruce McDonald, one of Canada's most satanic directors with "Roadkill" and "Highway 61" under his belt, how could you go wrong?

They did not. This was a stylish, original movie, which was a treat to watch. Adding to the glamour was seeing some of those little things we take for granted in Ontario, such as passports, drivers' licences, and the Maple Leaf plastered up there on the screen, likely on film for the first time. Paul Haslinger's music score was certainly something new and eclectic, along the same lines as Nash The Slash brought in McDonald's earlier films.

There were a few rough edges - Camilla Rutherford's pointless role, Peter Stebbings' over-the-top dorkiness, Gina Gershon's seeming ineptitude with a garretting wire, Juliette Lewis' slow drawl. But what the heck, I liked it and enjoyed it.

This may be Canadian film's ultimate swan song. Check it out before our country's cultural apathy forces the video store to get rid of it.

Claire Beaucage is a quirky young artist from Quebec whose apartment mysteriously burns down. Fleeing to Toronto, she tries to find her ex-boyfriend Billy, with whom she is still infatuated. However, it transpires Claire has gotten out of the frying pan and into the fire, for she is immediately involved in a case of mistaken identity with a seductive femme fatale named Lily Warden. As cops and crooks chase her through Toronto, the French-speaking Claire struggles to communicate in English, find Billy and escape the city alive.

Directed by Bruce McDonald from a script by Semi Chellas, 'Picture Claire' is a flawed homage to film-noir that fails to capture the suspense or charm of the genre. Chellas' narrative is unnecessarily complex, attempting to mimic a Hitchcockian tale of mystery and red herrings in a manner more obnoxious than intriguing. A muddled mess of coincidences, bizarre dream-sequences and cliches, the plot is convoluted and confusing. The characters are all one-note caricatures, lacking development or depth, and Chellas' dialogue is laughably pretentious when it isn't formulaic. Though there are a couple of good scenes and some snappy lines- mostly involving a menacing hoodlum prone to monologues- the narrative is exceedingly underwhelming and disappointing.

One of the few redeeming qualities of the film is Miroslaw Baszak's cinematography, which creates a stylish and atmospheric visual palette that heightens the film's links to film-noir. However, even this aspect is marred by the overuse of the multi-dynamic image technique gimmick, which shows several images shifting simultaneously on right-angled panes within the overall image. This technique- first used by Christopher Chapman in his 1967 film 'A Place to Stand'- supposedly creates a dynamic and immersive effect, but in 'Picture Claire', it only serves to distract and annoy the viewer. The technique is used excessively and arbitrarily, without any regard for the narrative or thematic coherence of the film. Instead of enhancing 'Picture Claire's suspense or charm, it only confuses and frustrates with its flashy superficiality.

Additionally, the score from Paul Haslinger- a former member of Tangerine Dream- is a bland and generic blend of ambient, techno and rock elements that fails to create any suspense or excitement. Often drowned out by sound effects and dialogue, his score doesn't match the mood or style the film is striving towards. Though the closing number- Traffic's 'Feelin' Alright?'- is nicely performed by Juliette Lewis, the song itself is a somewhat inappropriate choice for the film, clashing as it does with the stylish and gritty tone McDonald is trying to foster.

Speaking of Juliette Lewis, though she tries her darndest, she is woefully miscast as Claire. Struggling with the French accent throughout, she never quite gets it right, and seems embarrassed anytime she has to speak. Gina Gershon does much more assured work as the feisty femme fatale Lily, though her talents largely go to waste in the face of Chellas' slim characterisation. Callum Keith Rennie shines as the monologue-spouting mobster, bringing a welcome energy and an intimidating aura that makes watching him on screen a real treat.

The fact that director Bruce McDonald made a documentary called 'Claire's Hat'- detailing his disappointment with the finished product- should tell you all you need to know about 'Picture Claire.' The screenplay is full of faults, the dialogue is consistently underwhelming and the cinematography is overly-stylized. Featuring a miscast Juliette Lewis and a bland soundtrack, there is no real reason to seek out the film; unless you're incredibly passionate about Canadian cinema. Despite a few good performances, 'Picture Claire' has very little to offer viewers. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If it's 'Picture Claire', it's barely worth half that.

In Montreal, Claire Beaucage (Juliette Lewis) loses her belongings when her apartment burns on fire. She decides to travel to Toronto to move to her boyfriend's place, the photographer Billy Stuart (Kelly Harms). Speaking only French, she is mistakenly taken as Lily Warden (Gina Gershon), a woman that killed a smuggler in a coffee shop. The police chase Claire, who does not understand what is happening, while two sadistic criminals chases Lily, who is the second floor neighbor of Billy.

"Picture Claire" is a comedy of coincidences, with potential of cult-movie. The unusual screenplay has many flaws, since is supported in many coincidences, but is also very attractive. The cinematography, showing the dreams of Claire in parallel with reality, is original and great. Juliette Lewis is very convincing as a young woman in the wrong place at the wrong time that can not understand English. The joke with doors not closed recalled the reaction of Michael Moore in Canada in his "Bowling for Columbine". The sexy Gina Gershon is also great, and I liked this movie a lot. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Identidade Trocada" ("Changed Identity")

If you like Picture Claire, or even if you don't, I highly recommend you try to view Claire's Hat. Not really an official movie, it's an excuse film by the director, in an attempt to pardon himself for the terrifyingly bad bomb he'd produced. Wickedly funny for anyone inside or out of the film world, it's something everyone should see. Unfortunately, I haven't heard about any plans for a release of Claire's Hat. If there ever is, grab the chance and see this movie. The best flick of 2003, it will not disappoint.

Picture Claire is a good movie, with a good storyline and good acting. But when it didn't go into theatres and Bruce MacDonald himself thought poorly upon it, I had to wonder what was wrong with it. (And I wasn't the only one.) I bought it the first moment I saw it in stores. Basically much of the movie's elements aren't up to Bruce MacDonald's standards. Everything he uses to make a good story- the foreshadowing, the slight hinting toward something, the full circle- wasn't as clear in the movie as it was in others as say Hard Core Logo and Dance Me Outside. Some of the things should have been made clearer, such as the reference to the islands, the misogyny of certain characters and their expectations of Claire. The denument itself seemed to fall apart on him. It ended in quite a mess, but the very ending itself, the closing credits, I liked.

So the movie has flaws. Most movies do. And it's not up to MacDonald's standards. Does that mean his fans won't enjoy it. No, his fans will still enjoy it. People who aren't fans will still enjoy it. Though somehow it should have been done better it would still have been worth seeing in theatres.