Main Cast: Daniel Jeffery, Bob Legare, Jane MacFarlane, Ashleigh Fidyk, Curt McKinstry
Release Year: 2006
Country: CA
Run Time: 85 minutes
Plot
Radiant City, which represents the first collaboration between documentarist Gary Burns and journalist Jim Brown, takes as its springboard thesis the idea that suburban life is quickly becoming the norm for families across North America. It thus carries viewers inside of the "suburban mystique" via a protracted dissection of a clan that resides in a planned community, the Moss family. The film specifically examines how the suburban landscape, with its prefab houses, playgrounds, schools, strip malls, and community activities, continues to shape and define the lives and perceptions of these individuals -- from the father's involvement with a local theatrical troupe to the children's feelings of ennui and sense of removal from the neighbors in their subdivision. Burns offsets the picture's stark themes and undertones, however, with a sharp, wicked, and occasionally satirical sense of humor that never fails to catch the absurdities or ironies of this landscape. Musician Joey Santiago, from the band the Pixies, complements the images with a gritty rock soundtrack that draws out the sense of familial dislocation and desperation. The picture also traces the rise of suburbia historically, and features input by such suburban commentators as Mark Kingwell, from the University of Toronto, and writer James Howard Kunstler, who criticize the initial postwar model for suburban communities and suggest that it may not provide the optimal environment for living and raising a family. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Cast
Daniel Jeffery - Nick Moss
Bob Legare - Evan Moss
Jane MacFarlane - Jane Moss
Ashleigh Fidyk - Jennifer Moss
Curt McKinstry - Ken; Karen Jeffery - Karen; Mark Kingwell; James Howard Kunstler; Cayla Wolever; Marc Boutin; Andrés Duany; Ken Greenberg; Joseph Heath; Bev Sandalack; Amanda Guenther; Hong Cheng; Kyle Grant; Austin Penny
Credit
Gary Burns - Director, Jim Brown - Director, Jonathan Baltrusaitis - Editor, Graydon McCrea - Executive Producer, Joey Santiago - Composer (Music Score), John Bissell - Musical Direction/Supervision, Natalie Baartz - Musical Direction/Supervision, Pat McLaughlin - Cinematographer, Bonnie Thompson - Producer, Shirley Vercruysse - Producer, Gary Burns - Screenwriter, Jim Brown - Screenwriter
