Review: Can I Get A Witness? at IFFO

Synopsis
In a not so distant future, there is a reality where in order to save the planet, “death is everyone’s job”, with 50-year-olds taking the sacrifice, while teenage artists need to document it.

Ann Marie Fleming directs a sci-fi film that serves as a thoughtful meditation that feels extremely relevant in today’s world, where anxiety from climate-related disasters is top of mind for many. Society in this possible future has landed on a constitution that guarantees their survival in a world where life is simple—a world with no poverty, and where resources are shared equitably. Young people in this world can barely understand the concept of social media, let alone the concept of mass media. There is minimal electricity and people seem to travel everywhere by bicycle.

The only “catch” is that 50 is the new life expectancy in this possible future. When you reach that age, the government mandates that your life ends, and even facilitates this.

The film follows two people who are charged with witnessing end of life ceremonies. The lack of technology / outlawing of photography means that they sketch those final moments as a record. At times, the drawings come to life with magic realism, a nice emotional touch.

The performances of all three leads were good. Kiera Jang and Joel Oulette star as Kiah and Daniel, the two teenagers whose job is to document the end of life events. Sandra Oh plays Kiah’s 50-ish year old mother. Her screen presence stood out to me. She projected a sense of calm, love and wisdom that anchored the story.

Can I Get A Witness? screened at the sold-out opening night at the International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO) on March 12 with director Ann Marie Fleming in attendance. During the Q&A following the screening she responded to questions about the inspiration for the film and its journey from script to screen. The film was shot on location on Powell River, on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast.

I found it interesting to learn that the team took a sustainable approach to making the film with simple, yet consequential tasks like hauling equipment on a barge to the remote locations to reduce the project’s carbon footprint, and washing and reusing dishes for cast and crew to save on using disposable plates and cutlery. This is very much in keeping with the themes of the film. There is a patchwork quilt that features in the film, and hearing about the very personal connection between the cast and crew and that “prop” will certainly give me pause on a next viewing. This film and its themes resonate long after you leave the cinema.

IFFO continues until March 23. Check out iffo.ca for more information and for tickets. If you missed Can I Get A Witness? at IFFO or want to see it again, you can catch it at the Bytowne Cinema starting on March 21.

More info & links:

• Director: Ann Marie Fleming
• Cast: Keira Jang, Joel Oulette, Sandra Oh, Ben Immanuel, Yuki Morita
• Can I Get A Witness? on IMDB

Jith Paul

Web Designer, Editor, Film Reviewer

Jith Paul is an independent filmmaker based in Ottawa. While pursuing a career as a software engineer, he decided to take a detour to follow his passion for film and filmmaking, establishing Treepot Media in 2010.

He operates Treepot Spark, is a co-founder of the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival, and is the editor of the film613 blog.

When he is not busy fighting crime, he coordinates the efforts of an international team of software developers and service providers as the Team Lead for Digital Development at CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel.

jithpaul.com