Roadkill

Roadkill is the first part of a loosely connected rock `n' roll/road movie trilogy by Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald. The movie was something of a breath of fresh air when it debuted because Canadian film had, up until then, been traditionally known as notoriously boring or, worse, derivative of American movies. McDonald managed to fuse the low budget aesthetics of the emerging U.S. indie film movement with a distinctively Canadian take on the road movie genre.

Extras include a nine-minute short film by McDonald called "Elimination Dance," starring McKellar as a man who attends a dance marathon with couples being eliminated for hilariously bizarre reasons like "anyone who's lost a urine sample in the mail."

Next up is another McDonald short film entitled "Fort Goof" that runs six and half minutes long. The director holds a casting call for a role in a movie. A roomful of women audition and give all kinds of different readings of the same lines of dialogue.

A small collection of behind-the-scenes photographs can be accessed in the "Photo Gallery" section.

Finally, the highlight of the supplemental material is an audio commentary by actor/screenwriter Don McKellar and the film's producer Colin Brunton. They fondly recount anecdotes about making the movie. This is a good track as both men talk constantly and impart a genuine enthusiasm and humour about their movie.

Roadkill is an excellent example of Canadian cinema. While it adopts a distinctly American genre like the road movie, it remains uniquely Canadian in content (except for the presence of Joey Ramone) and attitude. Bruce McDonald remains one of the unsung heroes of the Canadian film scene, often overshadowed by its more well-known figures, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan and Denys Arcand. McDonald has remained fiercely independent over the years, supplementing his film career with a prolific one in Canadian television. Roadkill is an excellent example of his early work and an engaging, entertaining movie in its own right.

I first saw this movie on the cbc about 12 years ago or so. Then, in my late teens, it really had an affect on me. This is probably the best black and white, Canadian, rock and roll road movie you'll ever see. I think it still holds up after all these years.
The story follows Ramona, who works for a concert promoter, to northern Ontario. She's there to find the Children of Paradise and bring them back to Toronto so they can stop wasting the promoters money. Along the way she meets Don McKellar, a serial killer and Bruce MacDonald, a music video director. There's even a cameo from Joey Ramone.
The ending is a little goofy but I really like this movie. It's not for everyone, though. Fans of the late 80's independant movement (music and film) should take note.