Real to reel

Local observations from a movie, music buff

O Canada (Women)

Sarah Polley, Feist make the homeland proud

By Dan Ochwat

Sarah Polley and Leslie Feist are both from Canada; they’ve probably never met, probably aren’t even from the same region, but one made a movie this month, the other an album, and both blew me away.

Does it even matter that both Polley and Feist are from Canada? Absolutely not, but when you’re writing a column each month about movies and music, synergy can be tough.

Regardless, Canadians all around, be proud. The real news here is that Polley’s writing and directorial debut in “Away From Her” is a stellar, beautiful piece of filmwork. It’s a project that will take the actress, probably most notable to American audiences for her work in “Go,” and solidify her as a bona fide female in cinema. And Feist (who musically goes by her last name Feist), with her album “The Reminder,” is on a path to mainstream success, creating a sometimes sad, sometimes poppy CD that should bring her some well-deserved notoriety.

“Away From Her”
After seeing “Away From Her,” in my eyes, Sarah Polley became more than some critic’s darling because of how she bats her eyes in a Sundance film. She’s a budding film talent.

She’s in her mid-20s and developed a beautiful, sentimental, mature movie based on a short story by Alice Munro, one of the most respected living writers. “Away From Her” is based on the story “The Bear Came Over the Mountain.” It follows one man (Gordon Pinsent) and the heartbreak he faces dealing with the loss of his wife (Julie Christie) to Alzheimer’s. So, without even going into detail, you can imagine this is a pretty devastating movie. The helplessness, the transition of a new life, not recognizing the woman you’ve been married to for 40-plus years physically standing right in front of you.

The look of the film buries you in loneliness. White light shoots through the windows of the retirement home and cottage it’s filmed in, setting up more than beautiful photography, but also the idea that life is nothing but fading memories and photographs. What’s more, the wintery Ontario backdrop gives us miles of empty land and snow, which is beautiful, but piles on the oppressive loneliness.

In a pivotal montage, it’s Christmas dinner in the retirement home, and family members come and go until it’s nothing but patients, alone, at each table. One man, alone of course, hammers a single piano key relentlessly. For a minute, I thought, so this is what happened to the piano player in “Eyes Wide Shut?”

I know I’m making this movie sound miserable, but it’s beautiful in its honesty. This movie isn’t the friggin’ “Notebook,” though ladies will fall for it. The end, in particular, is moving. There’s a hug like nothing I’ve ever seen on camera. It’s a living, breathing hug with so much emotion and backstory wrapped into it that it’s unbearable.

Polley isn’t perfect, however. There are some classic “movieisms” in the film. The warden of the retirement home is a classic villain who speaks like a realtor and has glasses halfway down her nose. Also, yet again, the movies make an English professor out to be a turtlenecked, bearded cheater, and all teenage kids Goth punks. Finally, let’s be honest, Christie and Pinsent look nothing like my grandparents. These people are Hollywood glamour, but they do act the hell out of this movie, and it’s a graceful, worthy trip to the arthouse.

Feist
With her latest album “The Reminder,” Feist created one of those indie albums that could break out and become a mainstream hit. Unlike her earlier, sultry, Sade-esque albums (which are fantastic in their own way), this album mixes in some upbeat, poppier tunes that, dare I say, could be played on the radio (and not just on WLUW).

One song in particular, “I Feel It All,” could be the song of the summer. It’s a junky guitar jam that blends her unique, jazzy voice with a guilty-pleasure pop tempo, and it grabs you for three and a half minutes. The song is an excellent example of how “The Reminder” should win Feist a larger audience.

But for me, the beauty of this song isn’t that she just made a pop song. It’s that it’s done within the confines of her music and the concept of the album. The very first track, “So Sorry,” is a Feist song. It’s slow, heartbreaking, jazzy, probably my favorite. Then comes the pop tune, and the scene is set. We know for the rest of the album she’s going to play with tempos and sound, and she does to perfection.

Lyrically, this album is gorgeous, a quintessential break-up album. Some songs look back painfully at what you lost; others look back fondly at what you’re moving on from. It’s gorgeous to cover both outlooks and emotions of a breakup, whatever it is you’re breaking up from. This album doesn’t just look at relationships. And the pessimistic/optimistic concept fits the slow/fast duo-tempo of the album. Breaking up is all of that, it’s not just gloom and doom, lock yourself in your room and sulk.

Leslie Feist is a member of the Broken Social Scene army, so to see this pop side shouldn’t be a surprise. Those of us who have seen her in concert with her mates have seen her rock out. She isn’t selling out for radio — this is her music, and her unique voice needs to be heard by everyone. If you want to see her live, she plays June 19 at the Vic Theatre with my favorite live act of the year, Grizzly Bear. Don’t miss it.

Concerts
Outside of Feist, here are my two must-see shows in the next month (they’re at smaller venues, so it’ll be easy on the wallet): First off, Land of Talk. This band’s debut EP “Applause Cheer Boo Hiss” hasn’t left my car stereo, and the Canadian three-piece shredders are playing Subterranean on 6/1. Sharing the bill is Chicago’s Sybris and headlining the bargain triple-play is The Rosebuds. Sybris is similar to Land of Talk in that they have a kick-ass female lead singer, and The Real Chicago’s Jeremy Schnitker touted The Rosebuds last month, to which I couldn’t agree more. The husband and wife team have a new album out that’s quite good.

My other can’t miss show is electro-rock-synth-whatever band A Sunny Day in Glasgow, playing 6/17 at a newer venue, South Union Arts, which is an old church. This band should fill the creepy hall just perfectly.  

On 5/27, Frog Eyes plays songs off its fabulous new record at Schuba’s with local indie-pop band Mittens on Strings opening. The sweet sounds of Lavender Diamond play 5/28 at the Empty Bottle with the scary sounds of Indian Jewelry. On 5/31, Chicago legends (in my eyes anyway) The Sea and Cake play the Empty Bottle. Swede Loney, Dear opens up June with a show at Lakeshore Theater.

On 6/2, Chicago’s The Race play new music off a new record at the Hideout and tender Brit singers The Clientele share an excellent double bill with another mellow outfit, Beach House, at Subterranean. The following day, peppy Office play with Brit rockers Favourite Sons at Empty Bottle, while Interpol tackles Metro with their new album (I’m sure it’s awesome) and Americana band Paper Airplanes play The Note.

“BMX is better than sex,” according to dance-heavy Datarock, playing 6/5 at Empty Bottle. On 6/7, attractive British girl group The Pipettes bring the oldies to Empty Bottle and always-good The National kill the Metro.

On 6/11, crazy Architecture in Helsinki play the Logan Square Auditorium. Part of the Broken Social Scene clique Apostle of Hustle plays three straight Wednesdays in June at Schubas, starting on 6/13. This lead show is most notable as they play with Memphis, a side project of Torquil Campbell from Stars. If you love rockin’ girl groups, The Long Blondes play Subterranean on 6/13 as well.

On 6/14, hyperactive Matt & Kim visit Subterranean, and on 6/17, a very cool new record by The Veils will surely be broken in at the Empty Bottle. A powerhouse lineup of Superchunk, The Mountain Goats and The Ponys play Metro on 6/20, and Oak Park’s Fiery Furnaces play an intimate Empty Bottle show on 6/22.

Keep sending me your music or anything else on your mind at danochwat@hotmail.com. I’ve also joined the MySpace army, so give The Real Chicago some love at http://www.myspace.com/danochwat

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