Trying to find name of independent film about solo boat trip in Canada
July 4, 2013 8:27 AM Subscribe
Somewhere between 1997 and 2001 in Seattle, I saw a 1 or 2 hour independent film on TV at a friend's place. The subject was a man who wanted to row a small boat across a series of lakes and rivers somewhere in northern Canada. He traveled alone and filmed himself. I don't remember enough nor know enough about Canadian geography to say much more about the location.
Details I think I remember:
Maybe he had built the boat himself? Maybe it was a special kind of boat of historical significance? A “dory” maybe?
Near the beginning of the film he visited his ailing father to say goodbye, wondering if the father would still be alive after the (maybe 3-month? 6-month?) journey was over.
He filmed it alone (no other person was with him).
He maybe looked a bit like John Malkovich?
He carried an M-80 (or some such) firework as a bear-frightening device, and set it off at one point.
Lots of mosquitoes or black flies at various times.
At one point he had a scene where he became very frustrated by the relentless wind that was making travel difficult, and cursed and threw his hat on the ground.
His camera was often mounted on the bow of the boat looking toward the stern where he sat rowing, so you watched his facial expressions and listened to him talk as he navigated difficult waters that you, the viewer, could not see.
I think I saw this film at around the same time I was introduced to Ross McElwee’s films and so I think I conflate the two filmmakers and their works in my mind, though I don't think the filmmakers or films are related in any way, but just in case they are, I mention it.
Details I think I remember:
Maybe he had built the boat himself? Maybe it was a special kind of boat of historical significance? A “dory” maybe?
Near the beginning of the film he visited his ailing father to say goodbye, wondering if the father would still be alive after the (maybe 3-month? 6-month?) journey was over.
He filmed it alone (no other person was with him).
He maybe looked a bit like John Malkovich?
He carried an M-80 (or some such) firework as a bear-frightening device, and set it off at one point.
Lots of mosquitoes or black flies at various times.
At one point he had a scene where he became very frustrated by the relentless wind that was making travel difficult, and cursed and threw his hat on the ground.
His camera was often mounted on the bow of the boat looking toward the stern where he sat rowing, so you watched his facial expressions and listened to him talk as he navigated difficult waters that you, the viewer, could not see.
I think I saw this film at around the same time I was introduced to Ross McElwee’s films and so I think I conflate the two filmmakers and their works in my mind, though I don't think the filmmakers or films are related in any way, but just in case they are, I mention it.
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posted by bricoleur at 8:35 AM on July 4, 2013