Zone Wars on Film - Sarah Polley

POLLEYWOOD:

embracing a brave new millennium

of daylit film art

and exuberant adultery

in the allegorical film art

of Sarah Polley

by Gary W. Wright

Fittingly, given that she went on to become the embodiment of Canadian indie docufeature film art, Sarah Ellen Polley kicked off her film art career as an irresistibly cute girl actress playing a small but memorably cute role as a poor and wistful Tiny Timithina of a girl named Molly Monaghan in the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Joe Dante and John Landis addressing Phillip Borsos indie docufeature film ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS (1985), a Canadian indie docufeature film made with Walt Disney Pictures that was released on November 22, 1985. Just as significantly, Polley soon reappeared as the equally cute and sweet but feisty and indomitable girl feminist Sally Salt in the twilit, allegorical, computer generated imagery (CGI) enhanced, madcap and implicitly James Cameron toasting and Landis and Steven Spielberg roasting Terry Gilliam indie animaction film THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN (1988), released on December 8, 1988. A fittingly feisty feminist role, indeed, and one that not only forebode her own feisty feminist spirit and film art but also affirmed that the era of equally feisty, feminist and indomitable female film artists like Kathryn Bigelow, Sofia Carmina (SCC) Coppola, Mary Harron, Angelina Jolie, Lea Pool, Patricia Rozema, Susan Seidelman and Sandy Wilson had arrived.

A feisty female film art era helped along in Canada at least by the signing into law on April 17, 1982 of a new Constitution that gave equality to women and the freedom to express their thoughts, ideas, dreams, feelings, and opinions, allowing film artists like Polley, Pool and Rozema to join a Canadian film art community dominated for years by male film artists like Borsos, Cameron, Denys Arcand, David Cronenberg, Bruce McDonald, and Ivan Reitman. Thus, it was fitting that prior to releasing her own film art, Polley also played the troubled, murderous and implicitly Guy Maddin film art linked young wife Maren Hontredt in the twilit and allegorical Bigelow indie docufeature artbuster THE WEIGHT OF WATER (2000), a film released on September 9, 2000. For the film allowed Bigelow to experience Canada’s bold new Constitutional era during its creation in Nova Scotia, while its creation allowed Polley to experience a fearless and brilliant female indie film artist at work on one of her most complex, multi-layered, mysterious and feminine films.

Of course, growing up in the world of film art gave Polley a wealth of experience and insight to draw upon to create her own indie docufeature film art, like growing up in famous film families gave to SCC, Jolie and Jason Reitman. However, unlike most film artists but like SCC and Reitman, Polley was implicitly linked to characters in films before she appeared in theatres with her own film art. Indeed, Polley was implicitly linked to the sweet and feisty Katrina Van Tassel-played by Christina Ricci-and teamed up with her brother, the implicitly Gilliam linked Brom Van Tassel-played by Casper Van Dien-and the timorously intrepid and implicitly Cronenberg linked New York Police Constable Ichabod Crane-played by Johnny Depp-to free her village of Sleepy Hollow of a relentlessly and remorselessly violent and implicitly Paul Verhoeven linked Headless Horseman-played by Christopher Walken-in time for a neo eon of CGI enhanced film art in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Tim Burton animaction artbuster SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999), released on November 17, 1999. Two years later, Sir Ridley Scott implicitly hoped that Polley would arrive and thrive in the Temple Theatre with her own indie film art like the implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling-played by Julianne Moore-survived her film long manhunt for the shrewd, knowing, wily, mischievous, suave, charming, intelligent, educated, art luvin’, gleefully twisted, exuberantly and artistically homicidal, macabrely voracious and implicitly Cronenberg and Great Oz linked serial killer Doctor Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter-played by Sir Anthony Hopkins-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature artbuster HANNIBAL (2001), released on February 9, 2001.

The following year a character implicitly linked to Polley made her first appearance in a super satirical film or telefilm when DC and Warner Brothers implicitly linked her to the short, slim, beautiful, blonde, sweetly angelic, eerily clairvoyant and telekinetic, sometimes fisticuffs and martial arts luvin’ and implicitly Dorothy linked Dinah Lance aka Dinah Redmond-played as a girl by AJ Michalka, and fittingly as a teen by Canadian actress Rachel Skarsten, respectively-a potential film artist “metahuman” just beginning to explore her directorial metahuman powers and rebel teenage daughter of the equally beautiful, blonde, intelligent, talented and implicitly Seidelman linked metahuman Carolyn Lance aka “Black Canary”-played by Lori Loughlin-a rebel teen daughter who ran away to New Gotham City where she was quickly befriended and taken under the wing by two fearless metahumans, the tall, commanding, long auburn haired, unfortunately wheelchair bound and implicitly Bigelow and Glinda linked Barbara “Babs” Gordon aka “Batgirl” aka the all seeing cyber “Oracle”-played by Dina Meyer-and the short, sexy, sassy, short spiky auburn haired, fashion, martial arts and fisticuff luvin’ and implicitly SCC and Cowardly Lioness linked ninjette and daughter of Batman and Catwoman, Helena Kyle aka “Huntress”-played by Ashley Scott-and based in their central clock tower aerie battled Evildoers with them like the implicitly Cameron linked gang leader Colin-fittingly, given that the series evoked and implicitly replied to the Cameron co-created and co-executive produced and implicitly SCC toasting and Sir Scott roasting indie docutelefilm Zonebuster series DARK ANGEL (2000-02), and played by Shane Johnson-the implicitly Suzi Amis linked Lucy-played by Sarah J. Brown-and the implicitly Gale A. Hurd and Wicked Witch of the West linked and mischief and mayhem luvin’ Doctor Harleen Quinzel aka “Harley Quinn”-played by Mia Sara-with the help of dogooders like the implicitly Richard Kelly linked Darkstrike-played by Kristoffer Polaha-and the wistfully amorous, conflicted and implicitly George Lucas and Scarecrow linked New Gotham Police Department (NGPD) Detective Jesse Reese-played by Shemar Moore-in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed super satirical animaction telefilm series BIRDS OF PREY (2002-03), a series whose first and SLEEPY HOLLOW referencing episode was released on October 9, 2002 and featured a desperate battle against the Evil and implicitly Gilliam and Great Oz linked Larry Ketterly-played by Chris Ellis.

Polley was also implicitly linked to the shy, sweet but strong and indomitable Eowyn, warrioress of Rohan-played by Miranda Otto-in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas roasting Sir Peter Jackson indie docufeature artbusters THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2002), released on December 5, 2002, and THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003), released on December 1, 2003, an implicit link affirmed by the allusions in both films to THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN and the presence of the despondent and implicitly Gilliam linked Denethor, Steward of Gondor-played by John Noble-in THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING. In addition, like Reitman, Polley was also implicitly linked to characters in Marvel super satirical animaction films before she arrived on the scene. For Marvel Comics and Twentieth Century Fox implicitly linked her to the luvlorn Karen Page-played by Ellen Pompeo-secretary of the implicitly Kelly linked lawyer and man with no fear Matthew “Matt” Murdock aka “Daredevil”-played by Ben Affleck-in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and implicitly George Lucas and Alex Proyas roasting Mark S. Johnson super satirical animaction film DAREDEVIL (2003), a film released on February 9, 2003 that was inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to John F. Kennedy jr. that was created by Beamin’ Bill Everett, Jolly Jack Kirby and Smilin’ Stan Lee for Marvel Comics. Fittingly, given that Bigelow had acted as a mentor for Polley on THE WEIGHT OF WATER, the commanding and fearless Bigelow was implicitly linked to the equally commanding and fearless warrioress Elektra Natchios-inspired by a character created by Frolickin’ Frank Miller for Marvel Comics, and played by Jennifer Garner-in DAREDEVIL.

A year later, Polley was also implicitly linked to Ursula Ditkovitch-played by Mageina Tovah-the wistful teen admirer of the shy, geeky, smart, and implicitly Cronenberg linked and radioactive CGI spider powered teen Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played by Tobey Maguire-in the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Sam Raimi super satirical animaction films SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004), released on June 25, 2004, and SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007), released on April 3, 2007. Curiously, but fittingly, given the implicit link of Murdock to Kelly, Polley was also implicitly linked to the implicitly CGI disdaining and Republican battling neo-Marxist indie rebel Veronica Mung aka “Dream”-played by Amy Poehler-daughter of the implicitly Cronenberg linked indie arms dealer Walter Mung-played by Christophe Lambert-in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Kelly indie docufeature film SOUTHLAND TALES (2006), released between SPIDER-MAN 2 and SPIDER-MAN 3 on May 21, 2006.

A fitting implicit link of Sarah to Veronica, indeed, for despite creating her film art in the dread allegorical Zone War era, Polley also showed little implicit interest in either CGI enhancement to prevent fatal film set disasters on her film sets or in the Zone Wars. Instead, like Veronica, who followed in the indie footsteps of her father Walter, Polley also followed in the indomitable footsteps of Cronenberg by embracing the Toronto school of indie docufeature film art with its trademark and undisguised embrace of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This made Polley one of the first film artists of the post-Zone War era, a commitment to a daylit neo eon of film art seen when she donned the writer/director hats and created her first daylit, allegorical and slightly CGI enhanced indie docufeature film AWAY FROM HER (2006), a film released on the fateful and haunted day of September 11, 2006 that was based on the allegorical Alice Munro indie docufiction short story “The Bear Came Over The Mountain” (1999) and curiously complete with its own Veronica-played by Deanna Dezmari-in a much smaller but still significant role.

“Oh,

we don’t go to the movies much any more,

do we, Grant?

All those multiplexes

showing the same American garbage.”

Fittingly, the film began with a character played by Gordon Pinsent driving his sturdy black Ford pickup down a snowswept street in cold grey winter daylight, immediately linking Polley to a daylit neo eon of film art. This present image then slowly morphed into a grainy memory of a beautiful young blonde woman-played by Stacey Laberge-also shot in daylight. Then two people in snow gear were seen cross country skiing across an even more sunswept expanse of crisp white snow, reaffirming Polley’s implicit commitment to a daylit neo eon of film art and also immediately affirming her embrace of the Toronto school of indie docufeature film art and its open embrace of the GTA. Then AWAY FROM HER saw the implicitly Lucas linked and retired Norse mythology Professor Grant Andersson-played by Pinsent-slowly lose his beloved wife, a Canadian of Icelandic descent-played by Julie Christie-to Alzheimer’s over the course of the film. It was also noticeable that Andersson refused to abandon his wife of a doubly Fourceful forty-four years even when Fiona lost interest in him for a while and turned to the implicitly Cameron linked Aubrey-played by Michael Murphy-at Meadowlake, her long term care centre. Indeed, the film ended with Andersson hugging Fiona fiercely and luvingly, in the end, as that wistful memory that turned out to be her as a beautiful, bewitching and implicitly Hollywood linked blonde seen at the beginning of the film flashed again through his mind, bringing the film full wistful circle.

Significantly, as this wistful and bewitching memory of the fresh young Fiona implied that she symbolized the film art of Lucas, Polley implied that the myth luving Lucas had lost touch with his film art by 2006 as surely as the myth luving Andersson lost touch with the fading Fiona in AWAY FROM HER, an implicit sentiment that most audiences and reviewers agreed with, given the indifference at best and scorn at worst heaped upon the then recently completed STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy (1999-2005). Indeed, the labyrinthine hallways and dementia suffering residents of Meadowlake evoked the equally labyrinthine hallways and odd citizens of the subterranean world of the allegorical Lucas indie docufeature film THX 1138 (1971), affirming the implicit link of Andersson to Lucas. The film’s allusions to the allegorical and implicitly Ralph Bakshi roasting Lucas indie docufeature film AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) also affirmed the film’s implicit Lucas addressing intent. In fact, the name of Grant Andersson evoked that of Curt Henderson-played by Richard Dreyfuss-in AMERICAN GRAFFITI, and STAR WARS universe author Kevin J. Anderson, reaffirming the implicit link of Andersson to Lucas. The fact that AWAY FROM HER was shot with a mostly stationary camera also affirmed the film’s implicit interest in Lucas, reminding us that the film art of Lucas was usually shot with a stationary camera.

The implicit link of Bigelow to Meadowlake supervisor Madeleine Montpellier-played by Wendy Crewson-reaffirmed the implicit link of Andersson to Lucas, reminding us that Bigelow often addressed Lucas in her film art. The resemblance of Meadowlake managing nurse Kristy-played by Kristen Thomson-to Linda Ronstadt also affirmed the implicit link of Andersson to Lucas, reminding us that Lucas dated Ronstadt for a time after he broke up with Marcia Lucas in the Great Divorce of 1983. Last but not least, the wistful and bewitching memory of Fiona as a beautiful young woman also reminded us that wistful and bewitching memories and dreams haunted imperfect humans and perfect replicants throughout the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas addressing Sir Ridley Scott indie docufeature artbuster BLADE RUNNER (1982), reaffirming Andersson’s implicit link to Lucas.

Intriguingly, Fiona and Aubrey also resembled Barbara Sue “Babs” Jansen and Robert Hoover-played by Martha Smith and James Widdoes, respectively-in the allegorical Landis indie docufeature film ANIMAL HOUSE (1978). This link to Landis reminded us that Lucas had sympathetically turned up in small cameo as a disappointed Wonder World customer in the twilit and allegorical Landis docufeature film BEVERLY HILLS COP III (1994). A sympathy for the devilish Landis that offended anyone who felt that Landis deserved no sympathy, given that his callous and clueless misdirection led to the fatal helicopter crash that killed Renee Chen, Myca Le and Vic Morrow around 2:20 am in the early morning hours of July 23, 1982 on the set of a recreated Vietnamese village for his George Folsey jr. produced segment of the twilit, allegorical, Kathleen Kennedy associate produced, Frank Marshall produced and Landis and Spielberg executive produced Dante, Landis, Spielberg and George Miller docufeature film TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE (1983). Thus, Polley implied that she was as offended by the cinematic sympathy of Lucas for Landis as she was dismissive of the STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy.

Curiously, however, and despite this implicit disapproval of Lucas and his pro-Landis stance, Polley held out hope for at least one last good film from the disgraced J.D. Jedi Master. For the relationship Andersson developed with Marian-played by Olympia Dukakis-the coffee and cigarette luving, implicitly David Lynch linked and resigned wife of Aubrey, implied that Andersson was not as helpless as he appeared. Indeed, the sight of Andersson with Marian implied that a new commitment to higher film art for film art’s sake was in the works, a new beginning that would allow him to come to grips with Fiona’s fate or even fully release Fiona in time. For the relationship with Marian, taken up without the knowledge of Fiona and perhaps in jealous fury for her relationship with Aubrey, showed that Andersson was not as faithful to Fiona as he implied in his visits to her. Significantly, Aubrey’s implicit link to Cameron and Marian’s implicit link to Lynch also reaffirmed the implicit link to Andersson to Lucas, reminding us that Cameron was implicitly linked to the weak and Dark Side seduced Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker-played by Hayden Christensen-and that Lynch was implicitly linked to the courageous and Good Force for Good Force’s sake Jedi Knight/Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi-played by Ewen McGregor-throughout the STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy.

At any rate, AWAY FROM HER was a fine and mostly well received first feature film, but not one that did not implicitly attract jealous attention. For Joe Nussbaum had the auburn tomboy and implicitly Bigelow and Snow White linked university freshwoman Sydney White-played by Amanda Bynes as a teen and Cree Ivey as a girl, respectively-triumph over the beautiful, blonde, and implicitly Polley and Wicked Queen linked university student council and Kappa Sorority President Rachel Witchburn-played by Sara Paxton-with the help of the Seven “Dwarf” Dorks including the dark, dour, and implicitly Burton and Sneezy linked Lenny-played by Jack Carpenter-the tall, gangly, blonde, science and tech obsessed and implicitly Cameron and Doc linked Terrence-played by Jeremy Howard-and the implicitly Wes Anderson and Dopey linked George-played by Arnie Pantoja-and a reviving and healing kiss from the implicitly Prince Charming linked Tyler Prince-played by Matt Long-and be elected student council president at the eucatastrophic and harmonizing end of the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced docufeature film SYDNEY WHITE (2007), released on September 21, 2007.

Three months later, Burton also implied that he was not impressed with Polley’s implicit sympathy with Lucas in AWAY FROM HER by implicitly linking her to the poor doomed and insane Lucy-played by Laura M. Kelly-the life’s luv of the equally poor doomed, insane, vengeful and implicitly Lucas linked Sweeney Todd, demon barber of Fleet Street-played by Depp-in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Burton animaction artbuster SWEENEY TODD (2007), released on December 3, 2007. Two years later, the sight and sound of the callous and wealthy Professor David and Doctor Catherine Stewart-played by Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore, respectively-using and destroying the young, naïve, troubled and implicitly Polley linked prostitute Chloe-played by Amanda Seyfried-implied that Atom Egoyan-co-executive producer of AWAY FROM HER-was implicitly warning Polley not to let herself be used, abused and destroyed by wealthy and callous Hollywood vampires in the twilit and allegorical indie docufeature film CHLOE (2009), a film released on September 13, 2009 whose Toronto locations implicitly affirmed that Egoyan addressed a Toronto based film artist in CHLOE.

Shortly afterward, Kelly also implicitly linked Polley to Norma Lewis-played by Cameron Diaz-the beautiful young blonde wife of the implicitly Lucas linked NASA camera expert Arthur “Art” Lewis-played by James Marsden-and implicitly warned her that her wistful fondness for Lucas could be as much of a mistake as the decision of Norma to push a fateful red button so as to “win” one million crisp new dollars in the twilit, allegorical and slightly CGI enhanced Kelly indie docufeature film THE BOX (2009), a film released on September 17, 2009 whose allusions to AWAY FROM HER affirmed that it was addressing Polley on one level. Curiously, not long after the release of THE BOX, Sir Jackson also implied that Polley’s career would be as short as the life of the implicitly Polley linked teen Susan “Susie” Salmon-played by Saoirse Ronan-who was lured to her doom by the implicitly Lynch linked serial killer George Harvey-played by Stanely Tucci-at the beginning of the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced docufeature film THE LOVELY BONES (2009), a film released on November 24, 2009 whose implicit allegorical intent was surprising given the implicit link of Polley to the indomitable Eowyn in the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy.

The following year, Adam Green implicitly hoped that Polley would survive any fierce attacks by audiences, critics and film artists and succeed with her film art life like the Polley resembling and implicitly linked Parker O’Neil-played by Emma Bell-survived the agonizing ordeal of being trapped on a Hollywood cadenced Mount Holliston skilift seat over the course of a bitterly cold and snowy weekend, an ordeal that led to her ironically and implicitly Kelly linked boyfriend Daniel “Dan” Walker-played by Kevin Zegers-and their mutual friend, the possibly Darren Aronofsky linked Joseph “Joe” Lynch-played by Shawn Ashmore-being attacked and aten by ravenous and critical wolves over the course of the macabrely daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film FROZEN (2010), released on January 24, 2010. Soon after, Burton implicitly softened his stance on Polley when he teamed up with Disney to implicitly link Polley to Alice Kingsley-played by Mairi E. Challen as a girl, and Mia Wasikowska as a young adult, respectively-and send her falling down the rabbit hole to an all CGI Underland of a Wonderland to team up with the implicitly SCC linked White Queen-played by Anne Hathaway-the implicitly Gilliam linked Mad Hatter-played by Depp-and the implicitly Guillermo Del Toro linked Cheshire Cat-played by Stephen Fry-to liberate UnderWonderland by defeating the implicitly Kennedy and Spielberg linked Red Queen and Knave of Hearts-played by Helena B. Carter and Crispin Glover, respectively-and their blockbuster CGI jabberwocky beast in the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced animaction artbuster ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010), released on February 25, 2010.

As for Polley, she openly affirmed her implicit fondness for the Toronto school of indie docufeature film art when the cold, white and skeletal tree filled minimalist winterscape of the Brantford, Ontario area of AWAY FROM HER was replaced by the hot, colourful and lush kaleidoscope of summer in Toronto when Polley added a co-producer hat to her writer/director hats and returned with composer Jonathan Goldsmith and director of photography (DOP) Luc Montpellier from AWAY FROM HER with the daylit, allegorical and slightly CGI enhanced indie docufeature film TAKE THIS WALTZ (2011), released on September 10, 2011.

“Bye, Lou.”

Indeed, a hot, daylit and colourful summer spirit immediately suffused the screen as a short, attractive, elfin, barefoot, unnamed and SCC resembling and implicitly linked young woman in a red, white and true t-shirt and blue jean cutoff shorts-played by Michelle Williams-baked muffins in a warm and wood panelled kitchen filled with summer sunshine to the ironically and wistfully happy sound of the allegorical and Corinna Rose written Corinna Rose and the Rusty Horse Band tune “Green Mountain State” (2008), a hot, daylit and colourful spirit that remained for the rest of the film. The sunny and upbeat mood established, it was off to the equally daylit, hot and summery fortress of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, where the same short and elfin young woman, who turned out to be a writer named Margot, ironically lashed an Evil adulterer-played by A.I. Smithee-and then met the young Lucas resembling and implicitly linked tourist Daniel-played by the fittingly named Luke Kirby. Curiously, on the way home from Canada’s ocean playground, Daniel and Margot found themselves sitting next to each other on the plane back to Toronto and warmed up to each other enough that they shared a taxi back to their respective homes, where they discovered to their shocked amazement that they lived across the street from each other but had never noticed that.

Just as curiously, this close proximity to each other led to Margot slowly abandoning her disappointing, unfulfilling and implicitly Kelly linked “chicken” husband Lou-literally chicken, as he spent the film working on a cookbook for chicken dishes, and played by Seth Rogen-over the course of the film in favour of a more fulfilling and exuberantly adulterous relationship with the professional artist Daniel. Thus, given that Margot ultimately abandoned Lou for Dan, in the end, Polley implied that with all of his faults, faults which she had implicitly lamented in AWAY FROM HER, Polley still believed that SCC should prefer and support Lucas and his film art to that of Kelly. Indeed, the film’s allusions to SOUTHLAND TALES and THE BOX and the fact that Rogen played the sinister Ricky Danforth in the twilit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas roasting Kelly indie docufeature film DONNIE DARKO (2001) affirmed the implicit link of Lou to Kelly, while the film’s allusions to the twilit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Lucas roasting SCC indie docufeature films LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003), MARIE ANTOINETTE (2006) and SOMEWHERE (2009) affirmed the implicit link of Margot to SCC.

Significantly, the happy and liberated ending that saw Margot riding an amusement ride by herself to the tune of the allegorical and Geoff Downes, Trevor Horne, and Bruce Wooley written Buggles tune “Video Killed The Radio Star” (1979) also implied that Polley was equally eager to head off on her own daylit indie docufeature film path, as 1979 was also the year of her birth. Thus, it was fitting that Rogen was one of the many Canadian film artists who had been seduced by Hollywood and lured south to serve the insatiable and loot lusting CGI enhanced blockbuster beast, making Margot’s choice to leave Lou for Daniel at the end of TAKE THIS WALTZ implicitly symbolize Polley’s determination to leave crass and commercial Hollywood for brash and indie Polleywood as much as leave behind the Zone Wars. A brave neo eon of daylit and indie docufeature film art that would be openly and unabashedly Canadian as well as Torontonian, a dual commitment seen in the beautifully shot Toronto locations-!shots that somehow managed to avoid the ubiquitous CN Tower in the background!-and heard in the classic Canadian pop songs heard on the film’s soundtrack like the twilit, allegorical and Billy Bryans, Lauri Conger, Lynne Fernie, Lorraine Segato and Steve Webster written Parachute Club tune “Rise Up” (1983) and the twilit and allegorical Leonard Cohen written and performed tune “Take This Waltz” (1986) from which took its title did TAKE THIS WALTZ, reminding us of the importance of the allegorical and Neil Young written and performed tune “Harvest Moon” (1992) to AWAY FROM HER.

The red and white Maple Leaf flag evoking track suit jackets, t-shirts and summer dresses that Margot favoured, the blue and white Toronto flag evoking sleeveless flower print blouse she wore as she rode the amusement ride in the end and the fact that Margot’s name evoked Canadian actress Margot Kidder, perhaps best known for her role as intrepid DAILY PLANET reporter Lois Lane in the super satirical docufeature Superman Trilogy (1978-83), reaffirmed Polley’s implicit dual commitment to Canadian and Torontonian indie docufeature film art. Indeed, in some ways TAKE THIS WALTZ came across as a fitting full colour female Canadian film artist reply to such black and white Canadian male film artist classics as the allegorical Don Owen indie docufeature film NOBODY WAVED GOODBYE (1964) and the equally classic, allegorical and implicitly Lucas and Francis Coppola addressing Don Shebib indie docufeature film GOIN’ DOWN THE ROAD (1970).

Significantly, Margot’s link to super satirical film art soon became fitting, for the following year Columbia Pictures and Marvel implicitly linked the beautiful, blonde, brainy, sweet and steely Polley to the equally beautiful, blonde, brainy, sweet and steely Midtown Science High School (MSHS) student Gwendolyne Maxine “Gwen” Stacy-played by Emma Stone-the new girlfriend of the implicitly Cronenberg linked and radioactive CGI spider powered fellow MSHS student Peter “Spider-Man” Parker-played by Andrew Garfield-in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Marc Webb super satirical animaction film THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012), released on June 13, 2012 and inspired by characters created by Kirby, Lee and Sweet Steve Ditko for Marvel Comics.

“The antidote is cookin’, dude.

!Chill!”

Curiously, Gwen and Pete teamed up to defeat the misanthropic, out of control and implicitly Cameron linked Oscorp researcher Doctor Curtis “Curt” Connor-played by Rhys Ifans-after he lost his vital humanity and transformed into the villainous and all CGI “Lizard”. And so Columbia, Marv and the fittingly surnamed Webb implied their hope that the indie and mostly CGI free indie docufeature film art of Cronenberg and Polley would triumph over that of the more CGI enhanced indie Zonebuster film art of Cameron, an ironic implicit hope indeed given that it was being implied in a beastly CGI enhanced blockbuster film. Indeed, the film’s allusions to TAKE THIS WALTZ affirmed its implicit interest in Polley on one level, the film’s allusions to the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Cameron indie animaction Zonebuster AVATAR (2009) affirmed its interest in Cameron on another level, and the film’s allusions to the twilit and allegorical Cronenberg indie docufeature films THE BROOD (1979) and THE FLY (1986) affirmed its implicit interest in Cronenberg on a third level. Thus, it was fitting that Polley had a small role as Merle in the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Bigelow addressing Cronenberg indie docufeature film eXistenZ (1999), which openly linked Polley to Cronenberg and allowed her to experience Cronenberg’s unique omnisexual approach to the Toronto school of indie docufeature film art firsthand.

Ironically, soon after the Webbhead film, Polley openly affirmed that she was leaving behind all other film artists and heading off on her own unique and daylit Canadian/Torontonian indie film art path when she literally left behind all other film artists and headed off on her own unique and daylit Canadian/Torontonian indie film art path when she donned the writer/director hats and returned with Goldsmith, TAKE THIS WALTZ costume designer Lea Carlson-now back as production designer-more exuberant adultery and more meditations on the year of her birth in the entirely daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film STORIES WE TELL (2012), a film released on August 30, 2012 and fittingly made with Canada’s National Film Board (NFB), given that the NFB helped give birth to the Toronto school of indie docufeature film art by overseeing the creation of NOBODY WAVED GOODBYE.

“A truth like that opens up,

kind of begets other truths.”

Curiously, after an unknown male narrator and co-writer of the film-who turned out to be Polley’s step-father Michael “Mick” Polley-quoted perhaps the opening lines of the twilit and allegorical Margaret Atwood indie docufiction novel Alias Grace (1996), the Polley family gathered individually in their respective houses and the opening titles played to the sound of the allegorical and Justin Verson written Bon Iver song “Skinny Love” (2007). Then the film became a mixture of contemporary interviews with the Polley family and some family friends, grainy 8 mm home movies and equally grainy but fully dramatized 8 mm home movies which all revolved around individual stories all of the family members and friends had to tell about Polley’s deceased mother Diane, a beautiful, beguiling, exuberant and vivacious theatre and telefilm actress who haunted the film in the recollections of family and friends and in grainy home movies like the memory of the beautiful, young and blonde Fiona haunted Grant in grainy memories, a link to AWAY FROM HER that brought the first three Polley films full triangular circle. Curiously, along the way, Polley turned the camera on her family and herself behind the scenes so often that the film was also an interrogation of the making of the film itself as much as an interrogation of the mystery of Diane Polley. In fact, since she also turned the camera on the making of the spoof 8 mm home movies, STORIES WE TELL was also an interrogation of the making of indie docufeature films.

Just as curiously, this time the adultery in a Polley film was real and had a huge impact on the life of Polley. For over the course of STORIES WE TELL, we discovered that Diane became so frustrated by the fact that her husband Mick-who had a cameo as an artillery gunner in THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN-gave up his acting career to work as an insurance salesman to pay for the growing Polley family that she had an adulterous fling with Montreal film producer Harry Gulkin while acting in Montreal in the allegorical David Fennario indie play TORONTO (1978), an adulterous fling with the Albert Einstein resembling Gulkin that led to the unexpected birth of Polley, perhaps explaining her obsession with adultery and why she was as brainy as she was beautiful.

Of course, the bored and art luving married woman and the adulterous relationship of Diane and Harry recalled the bored and art luving Margot and adulterous relationship of Margot and Daniel in TAKE THIS WALTZ-indeed, in many ways STORIES WE TELL came across as a real life remake of TAKE THIS WALTZ. In fact, the actors who played Diane, Mick and Harry-the curiously Stone resembling Rebecca Jenkins, Peter Evans and Alex Hatz, respectively-in the film’s enacted scenes even looked like Margot, Daniel and Lou in reenacted home movie clips, affirming the link between STORIES WE TELL and TAKE THIS WALTZ. The real and re-enacted home movie clips and the documentary interviews also not only linked Diane, Harry, Mick, Sarah, the rest of the members of the Polley family and family friends interviewed for the film to film art, but made them implicit embodied symbols of film art. Thus, the death of the exuberant and high spirited Diane to cancer in 1990 was more than the death of the mother of Polley. Indeed, the death of Diane symbolized the death of film art, evoking the twilit shadow that fell over film art after the TZ disaster and implying that Polley used STORIES WE TELL to address the dread allegorical Zone Wars on one level. And perhaps my website, as the arrival out of nowhere of the mysterious Harry Gulkin in the life of Polley evoked the arrival of my Zone Wars website out of nowhere in 2012.

Indeed, as if to affirm an implicit link between Gulkin and the poor ol’ Gardevil, it was noticeable that the first name of Harry evoked Gary, and that the surname of Gulkin had six letters like that of Wright. And that Diane divorced her first eminently respectable but fantastically dull husband, George Spafford Deans-Buchan, in 1967, the year I was born. As such, one wondered how much significance one should put in the sight and sound of Polley concernedly warning Gulkin not to release his side of the story too quickly and without sound and thoughtful editorial collaboration, as if Polley had tried to read some of the stuff on my site and been horrified by the sad and incoherent shape the chapters of the Lucas book and the Zone Warrior essays were in at the time and was gently urging the poor ol’ Gardevil to be a little more careful and patient before releasing his “scholarship” on the web, for fear of embarassing Canadians, the rest of the citizens of the United Nations of Earth (UNE), and any other reasonably sentient denizens of the galaxy-like the lonesome and embattled but determined and persevering survivors of the doomed planet of Krypton. Thus, it was fitting that Mark Polley, one of Sarah’s two brothers, resembled Superman, curiously evoking Margot’s evocation of Margot Kidder and the Superman Trilogy in TAKE THIS WALTZ.

For his part, Burton implicitly linked Polley to Carolyn Collins-played by Chloe G. Moretz-the werewolf of the Collins clan in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and implicitly young Reitman addressing animaction artbuster DARK SHADOWS (2012), released on May 9, 2012. Significantly, Bigelow also returned to the Temple Theatre at the end of that year and implicitly linked Polley to the beautiful, brainy, strong and steely CIA Agent Maya-played by Jessica Chastain-who led the successful hunt for the implicitly Landis linked Osama Bin Laden-played by Ricky Sekhon-whose death implied the hope of Bigelow that Polley would indeed by the film artist to finally end the dread allegorical Zone Wars and kick off a whole neo eon of sunlit film art in her typically fearless, twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie docufeature artbuster ZERO DARK THIRTY (2012), released on December 10, 2012. Then Disney and Sam Raimi kicked off the new film year by implicitly linking Polley to Glinda the Good-fittingly played by Williams-and having her team up with the implicitly Lucas linked Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs aka “the Great Oz”-played by James Franco-to free the land of Oz by defeating the first Wicked Witch of the West, the implicitly Bigelow linked Evanora-played by Rachel Weisz-and then scaring off the second Wicked Witch of the West, the implicitly SCC linked Theodora-played by Mila Kunis-at the end of the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced animaction film OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (2013), a film released on February 14, 2013 inspired by the characters and a world created by L. Frank Baum whose implicit interest in Lucas on one level was affirmed by the film’s allusions to the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy and the STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy.

As for Webb, he again implicitly linked Polley to Gwen Stacy-played again by Stone-opposite the implicitly Cronenberg linked Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played again by Garfield-and had them both take on and take out the perhaps Tim Story linked Max Dillon aka “Electro”-played by Jamie Foxx-and the perhaps Wes Anderson linked Harry Osborn aka “the Green Goblin”-played by Dane DeHaan-at the end of the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Webb super satirical animaction film THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (2014), released on April 10, 2014. Significantly, while Parker survived the super spectacular struggle, the film ended with Stacy falling to her doom, implying that Columbia, Marv and Webb were worried that Polley’s small films would not allow her to succeed like Cronenberg in the neo eon of CGI enhanced film art or that succumb would Polley to an insidious temptation to make CGI enhanced blockbuster beasts for Disney that would kill her indie docufeature film art career. An implication that made it ironically fitting that the following year Dis reaffirmed their fondness for the film artist who had started her career with the Mouse House in ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS by teaming up with Kenneth Branagh to implicitly link Polley to Cinderella aka “Ella”-played by Alana Smithee as a baby, the fittingly surnamed Eloise Webb as a girl, and Lily James as a teen, respectively-in the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced docufeature film CINDERELLA (2015), released on February 13, 2015.

“Once upon a time…”

How fitting that the familiar CGI enhanced Disney Magic Kingdom logo transformed from an enchanted and firework bursting evening into a beautiful sunny day, for this beautiful sunny day evoked the irrepressibly daylit and sunny spirit of Polleywood. How equally fitting that on this beautiful sunny day we met baby Ella and her curiously Justin Trudeau resembling but implicitly Mick linked father-played by Ben Chaplin-and her beautiful, luving, vivacious and curiously Sophie Trudeau resembling blonde mother-played by Hayley Atwell. A sunny spirit that soon unexpectedly darkened when Ella’s mother died, evoking the unexpected death of Polley’s equally beautiful, luving, and vivacious blonde mother to affirm the implicit link of Ella to Sarah. Alas for Ella, the death of her sweet mother led to the arrival of her Wicked and implicitly SCC linked Stepmother, Lady Tremaine-played by Cate Blanchett-a Wicked Stepmother who evoked the succession of Wicked “stepmothers” that plagued the Polley home after the separation of Mick and Diane that were mentioned by the Polley siblings with a shudder of distaste in STORIES WE TELL.

Thus, as Ella triumphed over her Wicked Stepmother and wooed the handsome, charming and implicitly Lucas linked Prince-played by Richard Madden-away from the implicitly Cameron linked King-played by Derek Jacobi-and his equally Wicked and implicitly Sir Scott linked major domo the Grand Duke-played by Stellan Skarsgard-with the help of a blonde, singing and perhaps Pamela A. Lee linked Faerie Godmother-played by Carter-Branagh and Disney implicitly hoped that Polley would one day triumph over Wicked doubts, Cameron, SCC and Sir Scott with a hit film, an implicit hope affirmed by the film’s allusions to MARIE ANTOINETTE, STORIES WE TELL, TAKE THIS WALTZ and the twilit, allegorical, and CGI enhanced Cameron indie docufeature Zonebuster TITANIC (1997). The resemblances and implicit links of Ella’s Wicked stepsisters Anastasia and Drisella-played by Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera, respectively-to Drew Barrymore and Reese Witherspoon, respectively, also implied that Branagh and Dis hoped that Polley would triumph over Barrymore and Witherspoon with a good film, as well.

Curiously, Del Toro implicitly roasted Burton in the form of Sir Thomas Sharpe, Baronet-played by Tom Hiddleston-and implicitly toasted Polley in the form of the aspiring and ghost haunted late nineteenth century writer Edith Cushing-played by Wasikowska as a young adult, and the fittingly surnamed Sofia Wells as a girl, respectively-in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced docufeature film CRIMSON PEAK (2015), a film released on September 25, 2015 whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to ALICE IN WONDERLAND and SWEENEY TODD. Then it became even more fitting that it was revealed in STORIES WE TELL that Diane hid the fact that Harry was the real father of Sarah from Mick after the birth of Polley so as to avoid another scandalous divorce, only too well aware that her first adulterous relationship with Mick had broken up her first marriage to Deans-Buchan, who the internet revealed died in his cottage on Presqui’le Point in 2005 not far from some of my relatives in the nearby town of Brighton. For hiding Polley’s secret identity reminded us that the human Kent and Danvers families hid the secret Kryptonian identities of Kal-El and his female cousin Kara Zor-El from the world in the allegorical and super satirical narrative art adventures of Superman and Supergirl. All of which implicitly inspired telefilm artists to liberate Polley from the implicit damsel in distress status she was relegated to in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 and send the beautiful, brainy, sweet, steely and Polley resembling and implicitly linked Kara Zor-El Danvers aka “Supergirl”-played by Malina Weissman as a teen and Melissa Benoist as a young adult, respectively-from the doomed planet of Krypton and up, up and away for upbeat and high flying and super powered adventures of her own on her adopted planet of Earth in the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced super satirical animaction telefilm series SUPERGIRL (2015-2021), a series inspired by characters created by Oracular Otto Binder, Amiable Al Plastino, Genial Gerry Siegel and Joltin’ Joe Shuster for DC whose first episode, the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and imaginatively named Glen Winter telefilm pilot “Pilot” (2015) first appeared on tv just in time for Hallowe’en on October 26, 2015.

“Be wise, be strong,

and always be true to yourself.”

Daylit and CGI enhanced, indeed, for the pilot began with a CGI sun rising over the doomed CGI planet of Krypton, immediately evoking the daylit ambience of Polleywood. A daylit ambience that returned and never left after young Kara Zor-El’s parents Zor-El and the alluring and Bigelow resembling and implicitly linked Alura Zor-El-played by Robert Gant and Laura Benanti, respectively, the latter of whom also played Alura’s Evil twin sister General Astra Zor-El in the series-packed their distraught daughter off in a one person spaceship to Earth to watch over her cousin Kal-El. For after finally escaping from the timeless and eerie Phantom Zone, a beautiful sunny day greeted Kara when she stepped out of her spaceship after it crash landed on Earth. Here Kara was met by Kal-El aka “Superman”-played by Kevin Caliber-who dropped her off with her new scientist step-parents Doctors Jeremiah and Eliza Danvers-played by Dean Cain and Helen Slater, respectively, the latter of whom not only resembled Fiona in AWAY FROM HER but played Kara/Supergirl herself in the twilit, allegorical and implicitly Spielberg roasting Jeannot Szwarc super satirical docufeature film SUPERGIRL (1984)-and her new young step-sister Alexandra “Alex” Danvers-played by Jordana Taylor.

Fittingly, the exuberantly daylit and sunny spirit of the series continued when the scene jumped ahead in time to the sight and sound of the young adult Kara walking through the crowded and daylit morning sidewalks of National City to her job at CatCo World Wide Media. Ironically, here at CatCo we met Kara’s luving and implicitly Kelly linked IT colleague Winston “Winn” Schott-played by Jeremy Jordan-and discovered that Danvers was the luvlorn secretary/personal assistant/gopher/ego massager of CatCo’s smart, shrewd, sexy, confident, commanding and intimidating CEO Catherine “Cat” Grant-memorably played by Calista Flockhart-reminding us that Polley was linked to the equally luvlorn Page, secretary of Murdock, in DAREDEVIL. Significantly, Grant resembled the fittingly surnamed Polley family friend Pixie Bigelow, one of the storytellers of STORIES WE TELL, affirming the implicit link of Danvers to Polley. The implicit link of Kara to Sarah was soon reaffirmed by the arrival of her equally young adult step-sister, the Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO) Agent Alex Danvers-played by Chyler Leigh-for the older Alex resembled Polley’s sister Susy and Gulkin’s friend Marie Murphy, two of the other storytellers in STORIES WE TELL.

Significantly, soon after meeting these implicitly Polley linked characters, Danvers rescued DEO Agent Alex and the rest of the relieved passengers of ominously twilit National City Airlines Flight 237 when the beleaguered plane fell out of the sky above National City after it experienced engine trouble on the way to Geneva, Switzerland. Of course, NCA Flight 237 reminded us that the TZ disaster took place on July 23, 1982, implicitly affirming that Danvers and the series were triumphing over and leaving behind the TZ disaster and the dread allegorical Zone Wars and soaring exuberantly off into a refreshingly daylit and sunswept neo eon of film and telefilm art like Polley. An upbeat and daylit neo direction implicitly reaffirmed when Supergirl ended the pilot telefilm by teaming up with the DEO to defeat the tall, commanding, nefarious, and implicitly Cameron linked escaped Krypton criminal Vartox-played by Owain Yeoman-a triumph that openly linked Supergirl to Ontario born and raised Canadian film artists like Cameron and Polley.

The arrival in episode three of Season One of the implicitly SCC linked Lucy Lane-played by Jenna Dewan, a mixed raced actress who reminded us that SCC was an American of mixed Anglo-Italian [or was that Italo-Irish?] descent-and in episode six of Season One of Lane’s father the implicitly Lucas linked General Samuel “Sam” Lane-played by Glenn Morshower-reaffirmed the implicit link of Kara to Sarah. The arrival in episode one of Season Two of Katie McGrath in a recurring role as Lena Luthor also affirmed the implication that Kara was linked to Sarah, for Luthor resembled Veronica, Andersson’s first exuberant and perhaps Natalie Portman linked adulterous fling, in AWAY FROM HER. The arrival in episode two of Season One of the brilliant, callous, self absorbed, duplicitous and young Trudeau resembling and implicitly linked Lord Technologies CEO Maxwell Lord-played by Peter Facinelli-reaffirmed the implicit interest in Canada and its film art and film artists in SUPERGIRL. The appearance of Tyler Hoechlin in a recurring role as the Dan Levy resembling Clark/Kal-El Kent aka “Superman” and Chris Wood in a recurring role as the Ryan Reynolds resembling Daxamite, Mon-El, also affirmed the implicit interest in Canada and its film and telefilm artists in SUPERGIRL.

Supergirl’s triumph at the end of the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Season One episode five super satirical animaction telefilm “Livewire” (2015) over the supervillianess Leslie Willis aka “Livewire”-played by Brit Morgan-who resembled ex-Toronto chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat reaffirmed the implicit Canadian theme of SUPERGIRL and the implicit link of Kara’s hometown of National City to Toronto despite the fact that Season One was filmed in L.A. Indeed, the fact that Season Two of SUPERGIRL was created in locations in and around the Greater Vancouver Area (GVA)-including the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library (VPL)-openly linked the series to Canada. The expressed fondness of various characters in Season One for Atwood, the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed Ivan Reitman docufeature film GHOSTBUSTERS (1984) and the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and perhaps Gardevil addressing indie telefilm series ORPHAN BLACK (2013-17) also affirmed the interest in Canada and its film and telefilm art, film and telefilm artists and literary artists in SUPERGIRL. The allusions in the prologue of the daylit, allegorical and CGI enhanced Season Two episode six super satirical animaction telefilm “Changing” (2016) to the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical John Carpenter indie docufeature film THE THING (1982) reaffirmed the implicit interest of SUPERGIRL in Canada, as THE THING was also created in always beautiful British Columbia. Of course, alluding to THE THING also reaffirmed the implicit interest of the series in triumphing over and leaving behind the TZ disaster, as THE THING was released in early July of ’82.

Indeed, the sight and sound of Supergirl preventing twilit Flight 237 from crashing in her first super exploit in “Pilot” and the sight and sound of Supergirl rescuing Willis in her spinning and out of control helicopter after lightning took out the chopper’s rear rotor in “Livewire” before another lightning strike turned Willis into the gleefully insidious Livewire openly affirmed the implication that the daylit and sunny SUPERGIRL series and its CGI were triumphing over the TZ disaster on one level. Thus, Supergirl’s determination to defeat Evildoers and maintain peace and harmony in her adopted city of National City implicitly symbolized the hope of DC, Warners and the creators of the series that Polley would defeat the TZ disaster and twilit film artists-particularly those most responsible for the TZ disaster-and kick off a daylit and sunny neo eon of CGI enhanced docufeature film art, an ironic implication indeed given that Polley avoided excessive CGI enhancement and super satirical jackanapes in her indie docufeature film art. Last but not least, the ironic arrival of the huge, nasty and implicitly Donald Trump linked alien “lady-beast”-played by Troy Brenna-that was bitterly taken on and taken out by Supergirl after escaping from DEO imprisonment at the beginning of “Livewire” also implicitly reaffirmed that the series would not shy away from implicit exuberant roasts of political figures like Trump and Trudeau.

Curiously, not long after the appearance of SUPERGIRL, Angelina Jolie implied that the jealousy that the unhappy, unable to conceive and implicitly Jolie linked Hollywood star Vanessa-fittingly played by Jolie-felt for the happiness of the able to conceive and implicitly Polley linked Lea-played by Melanie Laurent-symbolized the jealousy Jolie felt for the greater success Polley had achieved as a film artist in the ironically and bitterly daylit, allegorical and slightly CGI enhanced indie docufeature film BY THE SEA (2015), released on November 15, 2015. As for Haifaa Al-Mansour, he implicitly linked Elle Fanning’s Mary Shelley to Sarah Polley in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film MARY SHELLEY (2017), released on September 9, 2017. For her part, Polley donned the co-producer/co-executive producer/writer hats and teamed up with Atwood, Cronenberg, John Buchan-casting director of her three films and now back as both casting director and co-executive producer-D.J. Carson-line producer of TAKE THIS WALTZ-the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Netflix and implicitly applied the Toronto school of indie docufeature film art to television and to nineteenth century Toronto and environs and fused her daylit spirit with the twilit spirit of Harron in the daylit/twilit, allegorical and slightly CGI enhanced Harron indie docufeature telefilm series ALIAS GRACE (2017), whose first episode appeared on tv on November 3, 2017 and which was inspired by real events and by Alias Grace.

“I think of all the things

that have been written about me.

That I am an inhuman female demon…

That I am cunning and devious.

That I am soft in the head,

and little better than an idiot.”

Significantly, the first episode began with lines from a haunting poem by Emily Dickinson followed by a dreamy opening titles sequence that evoked that of THE WEIGHT OF WATER and that was filled with luridly murderous period illustrations and woodcuts, preparing us for the arrival of another possible murderess implicitly linked to Canadian indie docufeature film art as in THE WEIGHT OF WATER. Then ALIAS GRACE began at Kingston Penitentiary in 1859 with the sight and sound of a female prisoner being taken from the prison by two guards-played by Jonathan Koensgen and John Tench, respectively-to the nearby house of the Governor to work as a maid, a female prisoner who turned out to be an Anglo-Irish Protestant immigrant and accused murderess named Grace “Gracie” Marks-played by Cronenberg find Sarah Gadon, whose cameo as Kari in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 implicitly affirmed the implicit link of Cronenberg to Parker in that film.

Soon a young doctor named Simon Jordan-implicitly linked to Kelly as he was always a part of the allusions to DONNIE DARKO, SOUTHLAND TALES and THE BOX when they appeared in the series, and played by Edward Holcroft-who specialized in mental problems showed up at the prison to coax the story of Marks out of her in her twilit cell, a dark story as elusive as that of Maren Hontredt in THE WEIGHT OF WATER. A dark and troubled story that also ended in brutal and bloody murder as in THE WEIGHT OF WATER, in this case the brutal and bloody murder on the twilit date of July 18, 1843 in a secluded Richmond Hill house of the last employer of Marks, the possibly Landis linked Scottish gentleman Thomas Kinnear-played by Paul Gross-and his housekeeper, the possibly Deborah Nadoolman Landis linked Nancy Montgomery-played by Anna Paquin, who linked the Upper Canada establishment and the series to CGI enhanced super satirical animaction films via her role as Anna Marie aka “Rogue” in the X-MEN films. However, while told in flashbacks that built inexorably to brutal and bloody murder as in THE WEIGHT OF WATER, unlike the Bigelow film where it slowly became clear that Hontredt was the murderess of two women who were implicitly linked to blockbuster CGI enhanced beasts, it was never clear if the disgruntled Marks or the even more disgruntled hired hand James McDermott-played by Kerr Logan-really killed Kinnear and Montgomery. Curiously, the judge-played by Murray Oliver-who sentenced McDermott to death and Marks to life imprisonment also implicitly linked the Upper Canada establishment to CGI enhanced super satirical animcation films like Montgomery, for he resembled and was implicitly linked to Joss Whedon, creator of the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced super satirical animaction films MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS (2012) and AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015).

Given that Marks struck up a friendship with the young Reitman resembling and implicitly linked and United States luving wandering peddler/conjurer/fortune teller/hypnotist Jeremiah Pontelli aka Doctor Jerome Dupont-played by Zachary Levi-there was also a possibility that Marks was implicitly linked to infamous Zone War “scholar” Gary W. Wright aka “the poor ol’ Gardevil”, in which case ALIAS GRACE was another salvo in that lamentable sub-genre of the dread allegorical Zone Wars known regretfully as “Cinema Garite”. If so, the sight and sound of Marks having her life sentence pardoned in 1872 by John A. MacDonald, the first Prime Minister of the newfound Dominion of Canada, and leaving her twilit cell after almost thirty years in Kingston Penitentiary and stepping out into the rejuvenating daylight a free woman, in the end, implied the hope of Atwood, Cronenberg, Harron and Polley that Wright would not only leave the twilit Zone Wars behind at some point and head down a new path in a daylit world but also not be condemned for his Zone War “insights” by society and, ultimately, be embraced by that dangerous, duplicitous and hypocritical society. One thing was sure, and that Marks was always linked to indie docufeature film art in general and the Toronto school of indie docufeature film art in particular, making it fitting that Gadon had worked often with Cronenberg father and son and that Cronenberg played the sympathetic Reverend Verringer and worked patiently and steadfastly to secure a pardon and freedom for Marks. Allowing Marks to devote herself to indie quilt artistry, a mastery of which openly linked her to indie artistry.

Curiously, Reitman then kicked off the new year by implicitly releasing Polley from any fears that she had wasted her life and betrayed her youth by implicitly sympathizing with Lucas in AWAY FROM HER and TAKE THIS WALTZ by freeing the implicitly Polley linked Marlo Moreau nee Tully-played by Charlize Theron-from fears that she was wasting her life with her implicitly Lucas linked husband Drew-played by Ron Livingston-and their two children, “quirky” Jonah and Sarah-played by Asher M. Fallica and Lia Frankland, respectively-and betraying her younger self Marlo Tully-played by Mackenzie Davis-in the end of the ironically daylit, allegorical, and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film TULLY (2018), a film released on January 23, 2018 whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to CHLOE, SOUTHLAND TALES, and TAKE THIS WALTZ. Later that summer, Susanna Fogel implicitly linked SCC and Polley to ordinary friends Audrey and Morgan-played by Kunis and Katie McKinnon, respectively-forced them into extraordinary spy jinks and had them take on and take out the creepy and implicitly Gardevil linked Russian assassin Nadedja-played by Ivanna Sakhno-in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced docufeature film THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME (2018), released on July 25, 2018. Not long after, Warner Brothers, Gravity Pictures and Jon Turteltaub implied that they understood the implicit intent of ALIAS GRACE, for they implicitly addressed Polley and the poor ol’ Gardevil in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed docufeature film THE MEG [2018], a film released on August 8, 2018 that was inspired by the twilit and allegorical Steve Alten indie docufiction novel MEG: a novel of deep terror [June 1997].

“!Don’t break my heart, Mickey!”

Indeed, Turteltaub implicitly linked Polley to Dorothy and the beautiful, brainy, bold, blonde, and intrepid submersible pilot Lori Taylor-played by Jessica McNamee-and had her team up with her bald, bitter, brooding, boozin’ and implicitly Gardevil and Scarecrow linked loner bachelor ex-husband and undersea rescue expert Jonas Taylor-played by Jason Statham-to take on and take out two blockbuster and CGI enhanced Megalodon super shark beasts over the course of the film. Significantly, while the first voracious and implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked Meg may have been implicitly linked to Spielberg given the film’s similarities to the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Spielberg docufeature film JAWS [1975], the second, larger, even more voracious and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Meg was implicitly linked to the all devouring Disney, which by 2018 had purchased and gobbled up Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm/ILM, and would also gobble up Twenty-First Century Fox in 2019. Indeed, the implicit link of Lori to Polley, and the presence of the implicitly Taika Waititi linked James “Mac” Mackreides-played by Cliff Curtis-affirmed the second Wicked mega-Meg’s implicit link to mega-Dis, reminding us that Polley had started her film art life with Dis and that Waititi had joined the Disney/Marvel fold with the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and implicitly Bigelow and Cameron addressing super satirical animaction film THOR: RAGNORAK [2017].

The fact that THE MEG was a China/United States co-production that featured Chinese actors and actresses playing characters like the implicitly Francis Coppola linked Dr. Zhang Minway and his implicitly SCC and Glinda the Good linked chief marine biologist daughter Suyin-played by Chao Winston and Li Bingbing, respectively-also affirmed the implicit link of the second and larger Wicked mega-Meg to mega-Dis, reminding us that SCC had co-starred in a Dis pic as a youth and that Disney was eagerly wooing Chinese audiences at the time, a China wooing intent the company had openly declared at the end of ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Thus, the sight and sound of the Wicked mega-Meg of the West being hunted down and killed by Suyin and the poor ol’ Taydevil in Sanya Bay off Sanya City on Hainan Island in southeastern China at the eye-poppin’ 3D end of the film implied that Gravity Pictures, the Chinese co-producers of the film, were warning the mega-Dis to woo China politely or else Chinese audiences would turn against its Disney, Lucas, Marvel and Pixar films.

As for the Dis, they reaffirmed their fondness for Polley by teaming up with Marvel, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and implicitly linking Polley to the indomitable Kree Star Force Warrior Carol “Vers” Danvers aka “Captain Marvel”-played by London Fuller as a six year old, McKenna Grace as a thirteen year old, and as an adult by Brie Larson, respectively-and implicitly linking Munro to the mysterious Dr. Wendy Lawson aka Mar-Vell-played by Annette Bening-in the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced super satirical animaction film CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019), released on February 27, 2019 and inspired by a character created by Gentle Gene Colan and Rowdy Roy Thomas for Marvel Comics. And so Dis, Marv and Anthony and Joseph Russo implicitly linked Polley to Carol Danvers aka “Captain Marvel”-played again by Larson-and had her team up with the implicitly Lucas linked Dr. Bruce Banner aka “the Incredible Hulk”-inspired by an implicitly Pablo Picasso linked character created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Mark Ruffalo-the implicitly young Reitman linked Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-inspired by an implicitly Andy Warhol linked character created by Kirby, Lee, Doughty Don Heck and Laughin’ Larry Lieber for Marvel Comics, and played by Robert Downey jr.-and the implicitly Wright linked Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played by Tom Holland-and the rest of the assemblin’ and dissemblin’ superheroes and superheroines to desperately battle and finally defeat the implicitly Michael Eisner linked mad Titan, Thanos-inspired by a character created by Jovial Jim Starlin for Marvel Comics, and played by Josh Brolin-to implicitly end the Eisner Era (EE) and kick off the Bob Iger Era (IE) of Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm at the end of the twilit, allegorical and CGI enhanced super satirical animaction film AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019), released on April 22, 2019.

And so these titanic CGI enhanced super satirical animaction films were in huge, expensive, ironic and tragicomic contrast to the small, less expensive, more intimate, thoughtful, mature and substantial indie docufeature film and telefilm art of Polley. As for Sir Scott, he implicitly linked Polley to Dorothy and the beautiful, brainy, book luvin’, and sexually violated Lady Marguerite de Carrouges-played by Jodie Comer-and had her husband, the blonde, hot tempered, medium sized, ironically illiterate and implicitly Wright and Cowardly Lion linked husband Sir Jean de Carrouges-played by Matt Damon-triumph over and kill her violator, the tall, dark haired, handsome, vile, rapacious and implicitly Reitman and Wicked Witch of the West linked Captain Jacques Le Gris-played by Adam Driver-in the brutal and bloody joust and duel that ended the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie docufeature artbuster THE LAST DUEL (2021), a film released on September 10, 2021.

Significantly, the following year Polley reaffirmed that her film art was more intimate, mature, substantial and thoughtful when she finally graced to the Temple Theatre again with the twilit, allegorical, and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film WOMEN TALKING (2022), a film released on September 2, 2022 that needed more experiencing and pondering to fully understand. As for Greta Gerwig, she implicitly and lightly roasted thoughtful Atwood and “perfect” Polley in the implicit forms of the equally thoughtful and implicitly Glinda the Good linked Ruth Handler and the beautiful, blonde, perfect, stereotypical and implicitly Dorothy linked Barbie-played by Rhea Perlman and Margot Robbie, respectively-and implicitly urged Polley to triumph over the Wicked black suited and implicitly Sir Scott and Wicked Witch of the West linked Mattel CEO-played by Will Ferrell-to leave behind the all too clinging, man’s world obsessed and hopefully not Wright linked Ken-played by Ryan Gosling-and to ironically leave behind her Replicant evoking doll status and embrace her perfectly imperfect and vital humanity in order to create a film that would defeat Sir Scott in reality at the end of the exuberantly dismal, daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed animaction filmmercial BARBIE (2023), a film released on July 9, 2023 whose implicit interest in Polley and Sir Scott was affirmed by allusions to AWAY FROM HER, THE LAST DUEL and the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Matthew Robbins addressing Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster BLADE RUNNER (1982). At any rate, in good hands to the relief of Cronenberg was the Toronto school of indie docufeature film and telefilm art. And so influencing and inspiring other indie docufeature film and telefilm artists in general and Canadian indie docufeature film and telefilm artists in particular and leading the world of film art with exuberantly adulterous, unadulteratedly exuberant and daylit film art was the beautiful, brainy, sweet and steely blonde Polley, leading to a new hope that one day join her would all who luvved film art in the liberating and rejuvenating sunshine of…Polleywood.

Bibliography

Munro, Alice. Away From Her. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2006.

Polley, Sarah. Run Towards The Danger: confrontations with

a body of memory. Toronto: Hamish Hamilton, 2022.