Awaiting Atwood

Filmmaker Beth Mairs takes a decidedly screw ball approach to the dire genre of adventure films. Poking fun at the cult of hero worship that pervades most adventure films, Mairs presents two lovable and flawed women who take the road less traveled from Sudbury to Toronto to meet their idol Margaret Atwood. The humour in this satirical adventure film is fearless, following tangents and bursts of imagination that had the audience roaring with laughter. As smart as it is funny, Mairs uses the Canadian landscape and the differences between urban and rural living to highlight some of the critiques of Canadian culture that Margaret Atwood herself posits in her work. The films flaws come from the exuberance of a first time filmmaker putting all their ideas in one film but it is so charming and original that much is forgiven and you laugh through the ride.

Awaiting Atwood is a lovely little film set in northern Ontario on a reverse sort of mid-life quest that takes the viewer in and out of the Canadian urban heart as well as the iconic landscape where Atwood's early novels are set. The story is a timely reminder for all those who have found themselves, their soul-mate, or the meaning of life in Canada through a northern woods experience involving a canoe that it is not over. The mid-life angst of the characters may appeal to those of us ready to re-surface, but there is enough humour, great scenery, and humility for persons of all ages to find something of themselves surfacing in this witty ode to our literary icon Margaret Atwood.

Awaiting Atwood is a film unlike other adventure films in that it empowers female adventure. Unlike epic adventure tales that focus on male characters and their brute strength, Awaiting Atwood demonstrates the calculated, focused, and creative approach many women adventurers take to the outdoors. Not only was this film a rare glimpse into female adventuring, but showcased the goofy self-deprecating nature of Northern Ontario folks who leave a lasting impression. It was also fantastic to see an adventure film whose raison d'être is the fandom surrounding Canadian literature. I would highly recommend seeing this film, it is a one-of-a-kind!

Awaiting Atwood is goofy, ridiculous and fun. The two main characters, in all their middle-aged glory, are on a journey to what they believe is a rendez-vous with an icon: Margaret Atwood. Travelling by canoe, bicycle and hang glider through the wilds of Northern Ontario, battling the elements, they run into extreme characters, existential angst and adventures that, of course, are loosely based on Atwood novels. No spoiler alerts here, you'll have to watch this movie to find out if their quest is successful. But I can guarantee that the trip is worth it; your travel companions are a hoot, there are always strange twists and turns, and there are many laughs on the way. This is a movie unlike any other. Highly recommended.

This would be a typical Banff Mountain Film Festival entry with lots of "Hey, Dude, that was so awesome!" after some death defying close calls except that the adventurers aren't two prime of life guys with big teeth wanting to meet some Norwegian-surfboard-across-the-Atlantic-guru-type but two deluded middle aged women thinking that Margaret Atwood is waiting to affirm them. And the close calls are as much "interior" as death defying. Even has some sneak smoking! There is a whole section in the centre in which the friends are separated and appear to have forgotten what they were intending to do.Lots of fun and Beth Mairs is hilarious with her sun block, woolly socks and toques.