Film Review: One Week

 

 

 

If there was any speculation that Canadian cinema was on the decline, One Week proves it isn’t.

 

One Week, directed and written by Michael McGowan, is a comedy-drama starring Joshua Jackson, of Dawson’s Creek and Fringe, as Ben Tyler.

 

Rather than getting immediate treatment when he learns of his cancer, Tyler buys a motorcycle, says goodbye to his fiancée and family and heads west to British Columbia.

 

This film is essentially a road trip but not an average one at best. On this trip, Tyler realizes what life really means and how special Canada really is.

 

One Week featured some of the greatest Canadian independent bands such as Lights, Stars, Wintersleep and Great Lake Swimmers.

 

The collection of tracks made the ambiance that much better and it showed how great our indie music scene is in Canada.

 

Canadian musicians Gord Downie, from the Tragically Hip, and Joel Plaskett also made cameo appearances.

 

The one person who really made this movie was Jackson. Once seen as Charlie Conway in the Mighty Ducks movie series with Emilio Estevez, he delivers a performance that Estevez would love. Jackson’s portrayal of a hopeless cancer victim was one of the best parts of this movie.

 

This movie would not have been such a success without the enticing and exciting cinematography.

 

Each province that Tyler travels to gives a brief look into what it is like to live in that province. This film shows everything about western Canada including the Pacific Ocean, gigantic fir trees, the Stanley Cup and the never-ending Saskatchewan prairies.

 

This cinematography shows what Canada has to offer in nature. It was a truly wonderful spectacle to see. 

 

With Campbell Scott narrating, this movie has sad parts, very funny parts and philosophical parts and these combine to show what Canadian films have to offer in the future.