Radiant City
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Radiant City
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, RoviCast
- Daniel Jeffery - Nick Moss
- Bob Legare - Evan Moss
- Jane MacFarlane - Jane Moss
- Ashleigh Fidyk - Jennifer Moss
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| Radiant City (1996 Film), Radiant (2005 Film) | |
| Radiation (1999 Film), Radiation Roulette (2008 Film) |
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Radiant City
This article is about a 2006 film. For the theory in urbanism by Le Corbusier, see Ville Radieuse.
| Radiant City | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Gary Burns Jim Brown |
| Produced by | Shirley Vercruysse Bonnie Thompson |
| Music by | John Bissell Natalie Baartz Joey Santiago |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Radiant City is a 2006 Canadian mockumentary[1] written and directed by Gary Burns and Jim Brown. It is about the suburban sprawl and the life of the fictional Moss family who live in the suburbs. The movie is openly critical towards suburban sprawl and its negative effects, being ironic and amusing at the same time.
It wasn't revealed to be a mockumentary until the end of the film.
The fictional part is about the five members of the Moss family who have just moved from the city into a new suburban development of Evergreen in Calgary, Alberta. The family discuss and portray the life in the suburbs and the various flaws and advantages of a modern suburban life, with a considerably greater emphasis on the flaws. While the characters and instances in the movie are fictional, the actors that play them all live in real suburban areas.
Interspersed with this narrative, experts speak about their views of the suburbs. These include Ken Greenberg, Joseph Heath, Mark Kingwell, James Howard Kunstler, Marc Boutin, Andrés Duany and Beverly Sandalack. These portions are filmed in different suburban areas of North America, including Oakville, Ontario.
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Plot
The Moss family decides to move from inner city in Calgary to a suburban area called Evergreen to satisfy Ann Moss's desire to live in a new house. Evan Moss, the husband, is still keeping his job downtown, which forces him to a two hours commuting time to work. Even if apparently the area offers everything that is needed by a family in walking distance, one is actually isolated due to constructions, buildings, distance and the area layout and is constantly forced to rely on the car for every little need. The family carries on its ordinary life with Ann having a positive opinion of their new life, while her husband, Evan, and the kids can see more clearly the flaws and disadvantages of this style of life. They however go along with it, constantly trying to find their way to justify their choice.
Cast
- Daniel Jeffery - Nick Moss
- Bob Legare - Evan Moss
- Jane MacFarlane - Anne Moss
- Ashleigh Fidyk - Jennifer Moss
- Curt McKinstry - Ken
- Karen Jeffery - Karen
- Michaela Jeffery - Nicole
Soundtrack
The soundtrack features songs from Joey Santiago of The Pixies.
Release
Radiant City was presented at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival with a very warm reception,[2] and also at several film festivals, including Vancouver and Calgary International Film Festivals, the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival and the São Paulo It’s All True Documentary International Film Festival, San Francisco Documentary Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival and the True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri.[1][2][3]
Reception
Critical response
Radiant City had a very warm reception when presented at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.[2] Also received several nominations, won also Genie Award for Best Documentary, was the runner up for best Canadian film on the 2007 Toronto Film Critic’s List.[1][2][3]
It was also awarded the Special Jury Prize at VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival).[1]
Reviews were very positive both in Canada and the United States.[2]
Radiant City currently holds a 93% "Certified Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, with no consensus yet.
Home Media
The movie has also been released in DVD on March 4, 2008. The DVD includes the original English version of the film and the English version with French subtitles.
References
- ^ a b c d "National Film Board of Canada". http://www.onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/collection/film/?id=53256.
- ^ a b c d e "The Film Reference Library (FRL) - Essays, Andrea Whyte 2006". http://filmreferencelibrary.ca/PDFs/Radiant%20City.pdf.
- ^ a b "New York Times - Movies, Matt Zoller Seitz". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/358902/Radiant-City/overview.
External links
- Radiant City at the Internet Movie Database
- Radiant City at AllRovi
- Radiant City at Rotten Tomatoes
- Watch Radiant City at NFB.ca (Requires Adobe Flash)
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