POLLEYWOOD:

embracing a brave new millennium

of

daylit and unadulterated

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 the Toronto school 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 young, short, slim, blonde, 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 and Sergio Leone 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, Gia (GC) Coppola, 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 Harron, 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, making it fitting that Polley had a small role as Merle in the twilit, allegorical, and slightly CGI enhanced Cronenberg indie docufeature film eXistenZ (1999), which allowed her to experience first hand Cronenberg’s unique and imaginative omnisexual approach to the Toronto school of grounded and realist, naturally lit, and anti-Hollywood indie docufeature film art that luved to take fictional characters and a fictional story and mix them with a documentary to create indie docufeature film art.  It was also fitting that Polley played the young, short, slim, beautiful, blonde, dishonest, troubled, murderous, and implicitly Guy Maddin film art linked wife Maren Hontredt in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed 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 the film’s 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 unusually 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 GC, 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, as early as 1994, Gilliam Armstrong implicitly and presciently hoped that Polley would grow up and work with Bigelow, SCC, and producer Gale A. Hurd to advance indie film art like the young, short, slim, beautiful, blonde, intelligent, drawing and painting luvin’, and implicitly Polley, Tin Woman, and post-Civil War amity linked Amy March-played as a girl by Kirsten Dunst and as a teen by Samantha Mathis, respectively-teamed up with the young, short, slim, beautiful, brunette, assertive, confident, creative, exuberant, vivacious but marital Union hatin’, and implicitly SCC, Cowardly Lioness, and indie Southern Rebel linked indie rebel and struggling writer Josephine “Jo” March-played by Winona Ryder-and the young, short, slim, beautiful, brunette, marital Union luvin’, and implicitly Hurd, Scarecrow, and stern Northern Patriot linked Margaret “Meg” March-played by Trini Alvarado-to found an art school after the death of the young, slim, short, pretty, brunette, quiet, shy, sweet, spiritual, music luvin’, and implicitly Gilliam, Great Oz, and pre-Civil War era linked Elizabeth “Beth” March-played by Eliza Scanlen-and the end of the U.S. Civil War to the delight of the their mother, the middle aged and heighted, slim, beautiful, brunette, tired, but courageous, determined, and implicitly Bigelow and Glinda linked Mrs. “Marmee” March-played by Susan Sarandon-and the young, slim, handsome, brown haired and eyed, exuberant, mischievous, likably unlikable, and implicitly A.I. Smithee and Dorothy linked Theodore “Laurie” Laurence-played by Christian Bale-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film LITTLE WOMEN (1994), a film released on December 25, 1994 that was inspired by the allegorical and U.S. Civil War set Louisa M. Alcott indie docufiction novel Little Women (1868-69), the allegorical Charles Dickens indie docufiction novel The Pickwick Papers (1837), and the allegorical Victor Fleming film THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939), that fittingly featured John Neville, who played the old, slim, handsome, big nosed, exuberant, indomitable, tale telling, and implicitly Cameron and Great Oz linked Baron Munchausen in THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, as Mister James Laurence, and that was the first of three cinematic adaptations of Little Women to implicitly address Polley on one level. 

Five years later, James Mangold also implicitly linked Polley to the young, short, slim, blonde, pretty, nasty but fragile, cigarette luvin’, and implicitly Polley and Cowardly Lion linked anorexic teen Janet Webber-played by Angela Bettis-in the twilit, allegorical, and Ozian themed docufeature film GIRL, INTERRUPTED (1999), a curious film released on December 8, 1999 that was inspired by the twilit and allegorical Susanna Keysen indie memoir Girl, Interrupted (1993) that implicitly hoped that Henry Thomas would live behind any concern, embarrassment, or guilt he felt for appearing as the young, short, slim, brunette, cute, and E.T. linked Elliot Thomas in the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Terry Gilliam addressing Spielberg docufeature filmmercial E.T., THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL (1982) like the young, short, slim, beautiful, black haired, short boy cut, literary, thoughtful, troubled, and implicitly Thomas and Dorothy linked teen borderline personality disorder sufferer Susanna Keysen-played by Winona Ryder-left behind her disorder and also Webber, her young, short, slim, blonde, pretty, sweet, shy, Oz novels luvin’, and implicitly Gilliam and Tin Man linked teen pathological liar roommate Georgina “Raider” Tuskin-played by Clea DuVall-the young, short, slim, blonde, beautiful, sexy, smart, assertive, mischievous, rebellious, Cinderella luvin’, and implicitly Drew Barrymore and Wicked Witch of the West linked sociopath Lisa Rowe-played by Angelina Jolie-the young, medium heighted, heavyset, bespectacled, gentle, patient, sympathetic, but firm and implicitly Spielberg and Glinda linked Head Nurse Valerie Owens-played by Whoopi Goldberg-and the rest of the patients and staff at the Claymoore Institute and returned to the real weird, wide, and wild world at the end of a film that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to E.T., THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL and the allegorical and implicitly Canadian Prime Minister William King and German Chancellor Adolf Hitler roasting Victor Fleming feature film THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939).

The same year, Tim Burton also implicitly linked her 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 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-and that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent on one level with allusions to THE WIZARD OF OZ.

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 daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly George Lucas and Alex Proyas roasting Mark S. Johnson indie 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 “King” Kirby and Smilin’ Stan “the Man” 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. 

Curiously, later that year Quentin Tarantino implicitly hoped that Polley would draw upon her years of experience acting in films and telefilms and become an indomitably indie film artist who would triumph over all comers like the young, short, slim, beautiful, blonde, green eyed, courageous, indomitable, mysterious, and implicitly Polley and Glinda linked Woman With No Name aka “the Bride” aka “Black Mamba”-fittingly played by Thurman, who played both who played both beautiful, blonde, and mortal Rose and beautiful, blonde, bewitching, and immortal Venus opposite Polley’s Sally Salt in THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN-triumphed over all Wicked comers in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, gleefully non-linear, and naturally lit indie docufeature film KILL BILL VOLUME 1 (2004), released on September 29, 2003, and in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, gleefully non-linear, and naturally lit indie docufeature film KILL BILL VOLUME 2 (2004), released on April 8, 2004.

A year later, Polley was also implicitly linked to the young, slim, pretty, blonde, and shy Ursula Ditkovitch-played by Mageina Tovah-the wistful teen admirer of the young, short, slim, sweet, 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, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed Sam Raimi indie 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 young, short, slim, beautiful, blonde, brainy, implicitly CGI disdaining and Republican battling neo-Marxist indie rebel Veronica Mung aka “Dream”-played by Amy Poehler-daughter of the old, tall, grey haired, bitter, nasty, and 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 collaborated with co-executive producer Atom Egoyan to create her first daylit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film AWAY FROM HER (2006), a film that was even more casually and exuberantly non-linear than KILL BILL that was 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, after the Mongrel Media, metropole Films Distribution, and Capri Releasing intros and two opening titles, the film began with a character played by Gordon Pinsent driving his sturdy black Ford pickup down a snowswept street in Paris, Ontario in cold grey winter daylight as other vehicles passed by, immediately linking Polley 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 and the rest of the landscape of Ontario.  This present image then slowly morphed into a grainy memory that also slowly moved towards the left to a beautiful young blonde woman-played by Stacey Laberge-standing perhaps on the sandy shore of Lake Ontario, also shot in daylight but most likely during the summer.  Then two people in snow gear were seen and heard cross country skiing across an even more sunswept expanse of crisp white snow, initially together than heading off on divergent solo paths in a hint of what was to come, all to the liquid and luminous instrumental sound of an allegorical Prelude by Johann S. Bach performed by film composer Jonathan Goldsmith and Hugh Marsh, reaffirming Polley’s implicit commitment to a daylit neo eon of film art and also immediately reaffirming her embrace of the Toronto school of indie docufeature film art and its open embrace of the GTA and the rest of the landscape of Ontario, as the rest of the opening titles appeared on the screen, the last of which proudly proclaimed “…Written and Directed by Sarah Polley.”

Then AWAY FROM HER ventured inside a cabin with the two skiiers and saw and heard the old, medium heighted, heavyset, thick grey haired, bearded, and moustached, blue jeans, plaid shirt, sweater, turtleneck sweater, and scarf luvin’, and implicitly Lucas and Cowardly Lion linked and Boomer and retired Norse mythology Professor Grant Andersson-his name fittingly having the same syllable cadence as Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker in the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy (1977-83), and played by Pinsent, and also by the fittingly surnamed Jason Knight as a young man in flashback, respectively-slowly lose his beluved wife, a Canadian of Icelandic descent, the old, short, slim, grey haired, beautiful, bewitching, blue jeans, sweater, and turtleneck sweater luvin’, and implicitly Glinda linked Boomer housewife Fiona Andersson-who resembled and was also implicitly linked to Natalie Portman, who played the young, short, slim, beautiful, brunette, courageous, intelligent, spunky, and implicitly SCC linked Padme Amidala in the STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy (1999-2005), and was played by Julie Christie-to Alzheimer’s over the course of the film after she strangely and unaccountably put a dry frying pan into the freezer of the fridge while drying dishes with Grant one fateful night in their cottage in 2003, the twentieth anniversary year of the disastrous release of the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Lucas executive produced, and implicitly Steven Spielberg roasting Richard Marquand indie docufeature film STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983) and, it turned out, of Grant’s retirement from university after a young, short, slim, beautiful, black haired and eyed, distraught, and implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked student named Veronica-played by -committed suicide when he implicitly refused to leave Fiona for her. 

A strange and unaccountable lapse that soon led to Grant searching frantically for her one dark winter night after she wandered off from an afternoon of skiing, evoking the sight and sound of young Skywalker driving off with the golden, tragicomic, and Oscar statuette evoking protocol droid C3P0-played by Anthony Daniels-into the dangerous Jundland Wastes on Tatooine searching for the short, errant, and Rebellious droid R2D2-played by Kenny Baker-in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Spielberg roastin’ Lucas indie docufeature film STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE (1977).  While finally finding her standing alone and distraught on a bridge, her flight convinced both Grant and Fiona to make the sad decision to commit her to the Meadowlake long term care home in Kitchener, a centre whose labyrinthine hallways and odd and dementia suffering elderly residents evoked the equally labyrinthine hallways and odd and drugged up citizens of the subterranean world of the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, and CGI enhanced Lucas indie docufeature film THX 1138 (1971), reaffirming the film’s implicit interest in Lucas and his film and the implicit link of Andersson to Lucas.

However, despite committing her to the care of Meadowlake, 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 old, medium heighted, slim, grey haired, handsome, sad, frozen, and implicitly Harrison Ford and Tin Man linked Aubrey Bark-played by Michael Murphy-at Meadowlake.  Indeed, Grant visited Fiona every day, and the film ended with Andersson standing frozen in a fiercely luvin’ and final hug with Fiona.  Significantly and ironically, however, as Andersson held Fiona close in that luvin’ hug, 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, a memory of the young Fiona that was once again lost far, far away in the past beyond reach or hug, bringing the film full wistful circle and ending the film on an untouchable and unobtainable note. 

Thus, Polley implied that the myth luving Lucas was also too cowardly to release his successful and long vanished Skyrockin’ youth which he had tried and failed to recreate in the STAR WARS Tragic Trilogy, and also that Portman was demented to have worked with Lucas on that second STAR WARS trilogy, 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, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the film’s allusions to STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE and the rest of the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies-particularly the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Lucas executive produced, and implicitly Spielberg roasting Irvin Kershner indie docufeature film STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980)-THX 1138, the allegorical, Ozian themed, and implicitly Disney toasting and Ralph Bakshi roasting Lucas indie docufeature film AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973), and the allegorical Victor Fleming feature film THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939).  Thus, it was fitting that the name of Grant Andersson also evoked that of cowardly but courageous teen 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 also usually shot with a stationary camera.

        The implicit link of the middle aged and heighted, slim, brunette, pretty, and men’s dress shirt, suit coat and pants luvin’ Meadowlake supervisor Madeleine Montpellier-played by Wendy Crewson-to Bigelow and the Great Oz reaffirmed the implicit link of Andersson to Lucas, reminding us that Bigelow often addressed Lucas in her film art.  The resemblance of the young, short, chubby, brunette, and implicitly Dorothy linked 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. 

        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, CGI enhanced, 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 Andersson did not develop Alzheimer’s himself, and the relationship he developed with the resigned wife of Aubrey, the old, short, slim, grey haired, wry, knowing, resigned, coffee and cigarette luving, and implicitly Carrie Fisher linked Marian Bark-who slowly faded away with Alzheimer’s herself, and was played by Olympia Dukakis-implied that Andersson was not as helplessly lost in the past as he appeared.  And not as loyal, for the adulterous relationship with Marian, taken up without the knowledge of Fiona and perhaps in jealous fury for her adulterous relationship with Aubrey, showed that Andersson was not as faithful to Fiona as he implied in his visits to her.  Thus, the sight of Andersson with Marian implied a new beginning for him that would allow him to come to grips with Fiona’s fate or even fully release Fiona in time, implying the hope of Polley that that a new commitment to higher film art for film art’s sake was in the works for Lucas. 

        At any rate, AWAY FROM HER was a fine and mostly well received first feature film whose fractured and non-linear narrative structure reflected the fractured mental state and memories of Fiona and that affirmed her commitment to the non-flashy, grounded, honest, naturally lit, realist, and anti-Hollywood Toronto school of indie docufeature film art that luved to take fictional characters and a fictional story and mix them with a documentary to create indie docufeature film art.  And a fine first feature film that was balanced between the gazes of the male and female characters, a characteristic that would be shared in time by the film art of Jolie.  Polley also implied that she enjoyed the music of Neil Young, given that the allegorical and Young written Young tune “Harvest Moon” (1993) played as Grant drove Fiona to Meadowlake, and that K.D. Lang crooned the allegorical and Young written Young tune “Helpless” (1970) as the black closing titles played on a snow white screen. 

Alas, however, AWAY FROM HER did not implicitly impress everyone.  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 middle aged, short, slim, blonde, poor, doomed, insane, and implicitly Wicked Witch of the East linked Lucy Barker-played by Laura M. Kelly-the life’s luv of the middle aged and heighted, slim, white streak black haired, black clothes, and black boots luvin’, poor, angry, brooding, insane, vengeful, doomed, and implicitly Lucas and Scarecrow linked English ex-convict Benjamin Barker aka “Sweeney Todd, demon barber of Fleet Street” aka “Mr. T.”-played by Depp-who mistakenly scythed Lucy down with one of his trusty silver handled razors at the diseased, disharmonious, and catastrophic end of the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed Burton animaction artbuster SWEENEY TODD (2007), a film released in time for Christmas on December 3, 2007 that ended with the heartbroken Sweeney holding his beluved dead Lucy in his arms like Grant held Fiona in his arms at the end of AWAY FROM HER, before being literally cut down by the young, short, slim, black haired, cute, gin luvin’, avengin’, and possibly Alex Cox linked Munchkin and street urchin Tobias “Toby” Raggs-played by Edward Sanders-causing blood to fall softly and silently down on the face of Lucy like tears…in rain.  Alas, the sight and sound of sweet and luvin’ Barker transformed into bitter and brooding Todd and scything down all those who aroused his righteous fury with his remorseless razors, including one who resembled Polley’s father Michael “Mick” Polley, eerily and presciently anticipated the sight and sound of the bitter and brooding Sweeney Gar, devil Zone Wars scholar of Mill Street, who had once been the sweet and adorin’ teen Jedi fanboy Wright, scything down all those who aroused his equally righteous fury with his remorseless pen in his essays and book chapters on his Zone Wars website.  !At last, our arms our complete!

Two years later, Quentin Tarantino implicitly and sympathetically dismissed Polley and her nascent film art career after one whole film-!ONE!-by killing the young, short, slim, beautiful, blonde, green eyed, courageous, determined, frightened, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked Shosanna Dreyfus-played by Melanie Laurent-at the end of the twilit, allegorical, conventionally linear, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and naturally lit indie docufeature film INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (2009), released on May 20, 2009.  Four months later, Egoyan implied in 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, short, slim, beautiful, blonde, naïve, troubled, and implicitly Polley linked prostitute Chloe-played by Amanda Seyfried-that he was 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, slightly CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed 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 directorial career would be as short as the life of the young, short, slim, beautiful, red haired, shy, and 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, Disney, Pixar, and 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 on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie animaction artbuster ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010), released on February 25, 2010 and inspired by the allegorical Lewis Carroll children’s novels Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland (1865) and Through The Looking Glass (1871).

 

“!She’s the one!...

!I’d know him anywhere!...

!We have our champion!”

 

Indeed, after a vibrant, colourful, and fireworks and Blue Fairy sparkledust filled Disney intro to the softly swelling sound of the Danny Elfman composed Main Theme, perhaps in celebration of the return of Burton to the Disney family, Disney and Burton had the young, slim, beautiful, blonde, restless, rebellious, eccentric, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked Alice Kingsleigh-played by Maria E. Challen as a girl, and by Mia Wasikowska as a teen, respectively-fall down the rabbit hole to a gloomy, spooky and mostly CGI Underland of a Wonderland and team up with the slim, beautiful, blonde, sweet, gentle, graceful, polite, luvin’, ethereal, and implicitly SCC and Glinda linked Mirana the White Queen-played by Anne Hathaway-the wild green eyed, madcap, orangehaired, and implicitly Edgar Wright and Scarecrow linked Tarrant Hightop the Mad Hatter-played by Depp-the all CGI, mysterious, floating, elusive, and implicitly Guillermo Del Toro and Cowardly Lion linked Chessur the Cheshire Cat-played by Stephen Fry-the blue, patient, thoughtful, hookah pipe smoking, Yoda evoking, implicitly Tin Man linked, perhaps also Lucas linked, and all CGI caterpillar Absolem-played by Alan Rickman-the loyal, all CGI, and implicitly Toto linked Bayard Hamar the bloodhound-played by Timothy Spall-and the equally all CGI but more grateful big, white, furry, black spotted, and implicitly Gilliam linked blockbuster Bandersnatch beast with big, sharp, pointed, slathering teeth to liberate UnderWonderland by defeating the dreaded, big headed, imperious, intimidating, and implicitly Katzenberg and Wicked Witch of the West linked Iracebeth of Crims, the Red Queen of Hearts-played by Helena B. Carter-the loyal, one-eyed and implicitly Spielberg and Nikko linked Ilosovic Stayne the Knave of Hearts-played by Crispin Glover-and her hearty playing card soldiers, and slaying their flying, fire breathing, and dragon evoking CGI blockbuster Jabberwocky beast-played by Christopher Lee-with a valourous, virtuous, and victorious Vorpal Sword, which returned the Crown to the head of Queen Mirana on a fabulously Frabjous Day in the healing, harmonizing, eucatastrophic, and futterwacken end, thus implying the hope of Disney and Burton that Polley would succeed and bring health and harmony to audiences, film art, film artists, and the Temple Theatre with her films, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Through The Looking Glass, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, and implicitly Spielberg addressing Gilliam indie docufiction film JABBERWOCKY (1977).

Curiously, in the sight and sound later that summer of the young, short, slim, beautiful, blonde, courageous, educated, intelligent, determined, sweet, steely, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked CIA Agent Evelyn Salt-her surname evoking that of Sally Salt, and played by Jolie-dying her hair and eyebrows dark brown and evading and triumphing over her American and Russian mentors after being outed as a Russian double agent and then going indie, in the end, Phillip Noyce implicitly wondered if Polley was hiding a more bold and nasty cinematic assassin underneath her sweet and innocent exterior who would follow in the more action packed and violent indie docufeature artbuster footsteps of her mentor Bigelow in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed docufeature film SALT (2010), released on July 19, 2010.  Later that year, Disney finally mastered all CGI animated film art by fusing old school Disney fairy tale with new school CGI, implicitly affirmed their fondness for Gilliam, and implicitly reaffirmed their fondness for Polley when they collaborated again with Byron Howard and now also with Nathan Greno to also implicitly hope that Polley would triumph over Amy Irving and work together with Gilliam and the equally young and talented film artist Kelly to make great films like the young, beautiful, green eyed, magical healing blonde haired, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked Rapunzel of the Canada cadenced kingdom of Corona-played by Delaney R. Stein as a girl and by Mandy Moore as a teen, respectively-and her small, green, silent but expressive, and implicitly Gilliam and Toto linked chameleon familiar Pascal-no doubt an implicit nod to Gilliam’s famous ability to change genres from one fine and madcap film after another with carefree and chameleon-like abandon-teamed up with the young, handsome, brunette, roguish, and implicitly Kelly and Scarecrow linked Flynn Rider aka “Eugene Fitzherbert”-played by Zachary Levi-and his valiant, crime hating, apple luvin’, Bucephalus evoking, and implicitly Dwayne Johnson aka “The Rock” linked white stallion Maximus to triumph over the old, grey haired, haggard, and implicitly Irving and Wicked Witch of the West linked “Step”-Mother Gothel-played by Donna Murphy-and to marry Rider at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie CGI animated feature film TANGLED (2010), a film released on November 24, 2010 that was inspired by the allegorical Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Rapunzel” and whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to the Matrix Trilogy, THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, THE WIZARD OF OZ, the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, brilliant, madcap, and implicitly New Hollywood roasting Gilliam and Terry Jones indie docufeature film MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975), the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, brilliant, madcap and implicitly New Hollywood roasting Gilliam indie animaction film TIME BANDITS (1981), and the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, fantastic realist, madcap and satirical Gilliam indie animaction film THE BROTHERS GRIMM (2005).

As for Polley, she reaffirmed her implicit fondness for the Toronto school of realist and grounded indie docufeature film art when she left behind the cold, white, bare, and skeletal tree filled minimalist winterscape of the Brantford, Ontario area of AWAY FROM HER, a snow white winterscape that the evoked the snow white ice land and winter world of Hoth in STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and embraced 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 Goldsmith, Knight-now back as co-casting director-and director of photography (DOP) Luc Montpellier from AWAY FROM HER to implicitly end any thoughts that she would collaborate with Kelly on making great film art and also implicitly and gently but firmly replied to Sir Jackson and Tarantino that her film art would go on in the daylit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and naturally lit indie docufeature film TAKE THIS WALTZ aka L’HISTOIRE D’AMOUR (2011), released on September 10, 2011.

 

“Bye,

Lou.”

 

        Indeed, after the Joe’s Daughter and Mongrel Media intros, and five white opening titles on a black screen, the last of which was the title “…TAKE THIS WALTZ”, the rest of the opening titles appeared as a hot, daylit and colourful summer spirit immediately suffused the slightly out of focus screen and a young, short, slim, brunette, pretty, elfin, barefoot, unnamed, and implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked young woman in a red, white, and true t-shirt and blue jean cutoff shorts-played by Michelle Williams-slowly came into focus as she baked blueberry 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 singer/songwriter who turned out to be related to Polley under her real name Corey Gulkin.  The sunny and upbeat mood established and the last of the opening titles, proudly proclaiming “…Written and Directed by Sarah Polley”, appearing on the screen, it was off to the equally daylit, hot, colourful, 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-immediately returning adultery to a Polley film. 

Significantly, these lashings brought her to the attention of a fellow tourist, the young, medium heighted, slim, brunette, handsome, clean cut and shaven, genial, and implicitly Bill Murray and Scarecrow 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.  Just as curiously, this close proximity to each other led to the sensitive, shy, and vaguely definite writer Margot slowly conquering her fears of fear and of connections, and abandoning her disappointing, unfulfilling and implicitly Tarantino and Cowardly Lion linked “chicken” husband Lou-literally chicken, as he as a chef who 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 and sexual relationship with the pedicabbie and talented but shy artist Daniel to the eponymous sound of the twilit and allegorical Leonard Cohen written and performed tune “Take This Waltz” (1986). 

Thus, given that Margot ultimately abandoned Lou for Dan, in the end, Polley implied that, despite his faults, SCC should prefer and continue to create film art with Murray and should also continue to stay away from her ex-flame Tarantino, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the film’s allusions to AMERICAN GRAFFITI, SOUTHLAND TALES, THE BOX, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THX 1138, 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)-complete with sudden music stops that evoked those that occurred in the films of SCC, the first of which, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, was fittingly filmed in Toronto-the twilit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly James Mangold roasting Kelly indie docufeature film DONNIE DARKO (2001.  Significantly, the happy and liberated ending that saw Margot riding the Scrambler amusement ride at Centre Island on Toronto Island 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, a year that fittingly filled her with exuberant and irrepressibly sunlit and Skyrockin’ indie cinematic spirit. 

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 also 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 was again naturally lit and balanced between the male and female gazes, that embraced and advanced the cause of the Toronto school of indie docufeature film art, and that was 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 “Take This Waltz” and the twilit, allegorical, and Billy Bryans, Lauri Conger, Lynne Fernie, Lorraine Segato, and Steve Webster written Parachute Club tune “Rise Up” (1983), reminding us of the importance of “Harvest Moon” and “Helpless” in AWAY FROM HER.

        The red and white Maple Leaf flag evoking summer dresses, track suit jackets, t-shirts, and even bathing suits that Margot liked wearing, and the blue and white Toronto flag evoking sleeveless flower print blouse she wore as she rode the Scrambler 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 full colour female Canadian film artist reply to such black and white Toronto school of indie docufeature film art classics made by male Canadian film artists as the allegorical and implicitly Pierre Trudeau addressing 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).  Indeed, the sight and sound of Daniel running Lou and Margot down the busy and colourful streets of Toronto in his pedicab to the Royal Theatre on College Street to see the allegorical Claude Jutra indie docufeature film MON ONCLE ANTOINE (1970) for their anniversary date night, a sequence that mixed fictional characters with real people in true docufeature fashion, evoked similar sequences where fictional characters mixed with real people in downtown Toronto in GOIN’ DOWN THE ROAD and NOBODY WAVED GOODBYE to implicitly affirm that Polley was replying to and continuing the Toronto indie docufeature film art tradition begun by those films on another level in TAKE THIS WALTZ.

        Significantly, Margot’s link to super satirical film art soon became fitting, for the following year Sony, Columbia Pictures, Marvel, and now Disney reaffirmed their implicit fondness for Cronenberg and Polley when they collaborated with Marvelous Marc Webb on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie 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!”

 

For the young, short, slim, beautiful, blonde, brainy, sweet, steely, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked Midtown Science High School (MSHS) student and Oscorp intern Gwendolyne Maxine “Gwen” Stacy-played by Emma Stone-the new girlfriend of the young, tall, slim, handsome, brunette, spectacle free, geeky, shy, radioactive CGI spider powered, hoodie, phone, photography, science, and skateboard luvin’, and implicitly Cronenberg and Tin Man linked MSHS teen Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man” aka “Spidey” aka “Webhead”-played by Andrew Garfield and as a boy by Max Charles, respectively-teamed up with Spidey to defeat the middle aged and heighted, slim, blonde, clean cut and shaven, one-armed, misanthropic, demented, and implicitly Cameron and Wicked Witch of the West linked Oscorp researcher Doctor Curtis “Curt” Connor-played by Rhys Ifans-after he gave up on his vital humanity and transformed himself into the huge, villainous, and blockbuster all CGI beast “the Lizard” to the grateful relief of the citizens of Toronto evoking New York in the literally healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end.  And so Columbia, Marv, Sony, 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, but one that was affirmed by allusions to the Matrix Trilogy, TAKE THIS WALTZ, THE WIZARD OF OZ, the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed Cameron animaction Zonebuster AVATAR (2009), the twilit and allegorical Cronenberg indie docufeature films THE BROOD (1979) and THE FLY (1986), and the allegorical Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack indie animaction film KING KONG (1933). 

        Significantly, soon after the Webbhead film, Polley reaffirmed that she was leaving behind all other film artists and heading off on her own unique and daylit Polleywood 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, Knight, and TAKE THIS WALTZ costume designer Lea Carlson-now back as production designer-for a thoughtful and thought provoking look at the real exuberantly adulterous relationship that led to her birth in the entirely daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and naturally lit indie docufeature film STORIES WE TELL (2012), a film released on August 30, 2012 that was as fractured and non-linear as, but curiously more linear and structured than, AWAY FROM HER, and that was 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…

and [while]

I know there’s no such thing as ghosts…

I have seen the demon [barber].”

 

        Curiously, after the NFB intro and one opening title, an unknown male narrator and co-writer of the film-who turned out to be Polley’s old, medium heighted, heavyset, handsome, grey haired and moustached, and cigarette luvin’ English ex-actor step-father Michael “Mick” Polley-read aloud the opening lines of the twilit and allegorical Margaret Atwood indie docufiction novel Alias Grace (1996) in a prescient anticipation of an Atwood and Polley telefilm production to come, as a montage of shots of actors playing members of the Polley family appeared on the screen before grainy 16 mm home movie shots of the real family, implying that the film was first and foremost another classic indie docufeature film rather than a documentary.  Then, after the montage ended and the title “…STORIES WE TELL” appeared in white letters on a blank black Spielberg screen, the Polley family comprised of Sarah, Mick, and all brunette step-siblings Joanna and Mark Polley, and John and Susy Buchan, step-siblings from the first marriage of Sfarah’s mother, gathered individually in their implicit respective houses to the sound of the allegorical and Justin Verson written Bon Iver song “Skinny Love” (2007).  Polly family assembled, 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 fictional home movies that again returned the indie docufeature film to STORIES WE TELL, all of which revolved around individual stories all of the family members and friends had to tell about Polley’s deceased mother Diane Polley, a mostly young, medium heighted, slim, beautiful, blonde, beguiling, exuberant, free spirited, vivacious, and at times Marilyn Monroe evoking woman who lit up each room she was in, forged her own indie career as a casting director and film, theatre, and telefilm actress, encouraged others to live the dream as well, and haunted the film in the recollections of family and friends and in grainy home movies and fictional home movies like the memory of the young, slim, beautiful, and blonde Fiona haunted Grant in grainy memories, a link to AWAY FROM HER that brought the first three Polley films full triangular circle, making it fitting that Polley walked past the camera early in the film like she did at one point in AWAY FROM HER. 

Curiously, Diane also haunted the film, family, and friends like the memory of the young, beautiful, and blonde Lucy haunted the bitter and brooding Sweeney Todd in SWEENEY TODD, implying that Polley was also addressing that film on one level in STORIES WE TELL.  Just as 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. 

Significantly, this time the adultery in a Polley film was real and had a huge impact on the life and birth of Sarah.  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 and writing career to work as an insurance salesman to pay for the growing Polley family that she had an adulterous fling with the distinguished and handsome Montreal indie docufeature film producer Harry Gulkin while acting in the allegorical David Fennario indie play TORONTO (1978) at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal, an adulterous fling with the Albert Einstein resembling Gulkin that led to the unexpected birth of Polley, making her the living embodiment of not just American and Canadian film, theatre, and telefilm art on her mother’s side but also fittingly of Canadian indie docufeature film art on her father’s side, and perhaps explaining her obsession with adultery and why she was as brainy as she was beautiful.  An unexpected baby Sarah whose real father was hidden from her and Mick for decades, allowing the Englishman to luv and raise his young, short, slim, beautiful, and blonde daughter in a way that the English Todd was not allowed to do with his young, short, slim, beautiful, blonde, sweet, innocent, and song luvin’ daughter Joanna-played by Jayne Wisener, and as a baby by Gracie and Ava May and Gabriella Freeman, respectively-in SWEENEY TODD to reaffirm that Polley was implicitly addressing that film on one level in STORIES WE TELL.

        Indeed, the actors who played Diane and Mick-the also curiously Stone resembling Rebecca Jenkins and Peter Evans, respectively-resembled, dressed, and even acted like Lillian and Walt Disney, particularly the animated, moustached, and cigarette luvin’ Evans, reminding us that Burton began his life in film art as a hand animator for the Walt Disney Company before going off to create his own film art, and that Polley also began her film art life with Disney and ONE MAGIC CHRISTMAS to also affirm that she was addressing SWEENEY TODD on one level in STORIES WE TELL.  Of course, the bored and art luving married woman and the adulterous relationship of Diane and Harry also recalled the bored and art luving married Margot and her adulterous relationship with 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-played by Alex Hatz-in the film’s enacted scenes also even looked like Margot, Daniel, and Lou in the reenacted home movie clips as well as Diane and Mick and Lillian and Walt, 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, Mark, Joanna, John, Susy, and family friends interviewed for the film to film art, but made them all implicit embodied symbols of film art, as well.

        Significantly, the film ended with the death of Diane to cancer in 1990, a death that was as shocking, sobering, saddening, and heartbreaking as the death of Lucy at the end of SWEENEY TODD, implying yet again that Polley was responding to that film on one level in STORIES WE TELL.  Indeed, to reaffirm that implication, the final words of the film were a pensive personal soliloquy from Mick that not only evoked the opening lines of Alias Grace that he read at the beginning to bring the fine film full circle, but also evoked the last sad verses sung by the devastated Todd before he was killed at the end of SWEENEY TODD.  However, instead of embracing death, Mick ended his soliloquy by saying that “…I will go on.  I will go on”, an assertive affirmation of life that rejected the deadly ending of SWEENEY TODD and that implicitly affirmed the commitment of Polley to a film art life, regardless of what naysayers like Burton, Sir Jackson, and Tarantino thought of anything, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the film’s allusions to SWEENEY TODD, the twilit, allegorical, black and white, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature artbuster ED WOOD (1994), and the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed animaction artbuster MARS ATTACKS! (1996).  

Sadly, the death of the exuberant and high spirited Diane was also 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, causing the wealthy George to lose the beautiful young blonde to Mick in another reversal of SWEENEY TODD, where the old, tall, slim, grey haired, nasty, controlling, wealthy, and implicitly Cameron and Wicked Witch of the West linked Judge Turpin-played by Alan Rickman-took the beautiful young blonde from Barker to reaffirm the implication that Polley was replying to that film on one level in SWEENEY TODD. 

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 Sarah’s older brother Mark resembled Superman, curiously evoking Margot’s evocation of Margot Kidder and the Superman Trilogy in TAKE THIS WALTZ.

        At any rate, STORIES WE TELL was another fine film from Polley that did indeed affirm that she was heading off on her own unique and daylit Polleywood indie film art path given that it was perhaps the world’s first grounded and realist, naturally lit, and anti-Hollywood indie docufeature film and indie documentary film at once.  And a truly original indie docufeaturentary film that continued her fondness for classic Canadian pop on the soundtrack, including the allegorical and Taylor Kirk written Timber Timbre tune “Demon Host” (2009).  For his part, Burton reaffirmed his implicit fondness for Polley by implicitly linking Polley to beautiful and snarly young young teen Carolyn Collins-played by Chloe G. Moretz-the werewolf of the Collins clan in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Francis Coppola 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, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed 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 and Tragic Trilogies.

        As for Columbia, Disney, Marvel, Sony, and Webbhead, they again implicitly linked Polley to the young, short, slim, blonde, beautiful, brainy, steely, and implicitly Dorothy linked Gwen Stacy-played again by Stone-opposite the young, tall, slim, handsome, brunette, spectacle free, geeky, shy, radioactive CGI spider powered, hoodie, phone, photography, science, and skateboard luvin’, and implicitly Cronenberg and Cowardly Lion linked MSHS teen graduate, college student, and part-time DAILY BUGLE photographer Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man” aka “Spidey” aka “Webhead”-played again by Charles and Garfield, respectively-and had them both take on and take out the middle aged and heighted, slim, balding, dorky, needy, lonely, solitary, Spidey luvin’, tragicomic, and implicitly Coppola and Nikko linked Oscorp electrical engineer and bachelor Maxwell “Max” Dillon aka the all CGI “Electro” aka “Sparkles”-played by Jamie Foxx-and the young, short, slim, handsome, brunette, wealthy, spoiled, vainglorious, dying, and implicitly Alden Ehrenreich and Tin Man linked Harry Osborn aka the gleefully demented, spider venom powered, CGI enhanced, and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked “Green Goblin” aka “Gobbie”-played by Dane DeHaan-again to the relief of the citizens of Toronto evoking New York at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed Webb indie super satirical animaction film THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (2014), a film released on April 10, 2014 that again implied the hope of Columbia, Marv, Sony, and Webbhead 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 film art of Coppola, an ironic implicit hope indeed given that it was again being implied in a beastly CGI enhanced blockbuster film, but one that was affirmed by allusions to the Matrix Trilogy, the Spidey teletoon series (1967-70), TAKE THIS WALTZ, THE FLY, THE WIZARD OF OZ, the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Lynch addressing Coppola indie docufeature film YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH (2007), the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Gilliam addressing Coppola indie docufeature film ‘TWIXT (2011), and the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and Coppola co-produced Kenneth Branagh indie docufeature film MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN (1994), making it fitting that THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 was released in the twentieth anniversary year of the release of that film. 

Significantly, while Parker survived the super spectacular struggle, the film ended with Stacy falling to her doom, implying that Columbia, Dis, Marv, Sony, 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 her film art had satisfied them that it was time for her to die as a supporting character in the MCU and to return as a superheroine in her own right like Reitman.    Curiously, the following year 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, SWEENEY TODD, and THE WIZARD OF OZ. 

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 middle aged, short, slim, beautiful, brunette, unhappy, unable to conceive, and implicitly Isabelle Adjani linked Vanessa “Nessa” Bertrand-played by Jolie-felt for the happiness of the young, slim, short, beautiful, blonde, able to conceive, and implicitly Polley linked newlywed Lea-played by Laurent-symbolized on one level the jealousy Jolie felt for the greater success Polley had achieved as a film artist in the ironically and bitterly daylit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film BY THE SEA (2015), a film released on November 15, 2015 that was as grounded, naturally lit, realist, balanced between the male and female gazes, and anti-Hollywood as a Polley film.  Curiously and curiously, the following month, Disney collaborated again with co-producer Burton and also with Carter, Depp, Fry, Hathaway, Rickman, Spall, Wasikowska, Lindsay Duncan-who played Alice’s middle aged but still beautiful, blonde, and implicitly Diane Polley linked mother Helen Kingsleigh in ALICE IN WONDERLAND-Matt Lucas-who played the bald, chubby, tragicomic, and implicitly Doug and Rob Ford linked identical twins Tweedledee and Tweedledum in ALICE IN WONDERLAND to affirm the implicit link of Alice to a Torontonian-and now also with James Bobin to implicitly reaffirm their fondness for Gilliam and Polley in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie animaction artbuster ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS (2016), released on May 10, 2016 and inspired again by Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.

 

“Is it true

that (time) heals all wounds?”

 

        Indeed, after an unusually vibrant, colourful, and fireworks and Blue Fairy sparkledust filled Disney intro to the swelling sound of the Disney Theme, the sight and sound of the young, slim, beautiful, blonde, courageous, intelligent, determined, patient, perseverant, ambitious, talented, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked Captain Alice Kingsleigh-played again by Wasikowska-confidently captaining the good Kingsleigh Company trading ship Wonder out of an attack by a twilit trio of pirate ships in the Straits of Malacca on a dark and stormy night in 1874 in the film’s prologue immediately and implicitly reaffirmed the fondness of Disney, Bobin, and Burton for Polley and their implicit belief that Polley had weathered the audience and critical storm and had established herself as a fine and fearless film artist with her first three films.  This implicit confidence in Polley and satisfaction that she had filled her film art with a daylit and sunny spirit was reaffirmed by the sight and sound of a strong and steady wind filling and billowing the sails of the Wonder as Kingsleigh arrived safe and sound back in London on a beautiful sunny day in 1875.

The implicit confidence of Bobin, Burton, and Disney in Polley was again affirmed soon after she arrived back in England, when Kingsleigh followed the blue, patient, thoughtful, Yoda evoking, perhaps Lucas linked, and all CGI butterfly Absolem-played again by Rickman-through the mirror over the fireplace mantlepiece in the well appointed study of the new, young, and arrogant Lord Hamish Ascot-played by Leo Bill-and returned to daylit, restored and harmonious Wunderland.  Here Captain Kingsleigh teamed up again with the slim, beautiful, blonde, sweet, gentle, graceful, polite, luvin’, ethereal, and implicitly SCC and Glinda linked Mirana the White Queen-played again by Hathaway, and as a not quite so honest and virtuous girl by Amelia Crouch, respectively-the loyal, all CGI, and implicitly Toto linked Bayard Hamar the bloodhound-played again by Spall-and with the big, white, furry, black spotted, and implicitly Gilliam linked all CGI blockbuster Bandersnatch beast with big, sharp, pointed, slathering teeth, and using a handy stolen Chronosphere to travel back in time in daylit and harmonious Wunderland to bring futterwackin’ Scarecrow life, health, and zany exuberance back to the wild green eyed, madcap, orangehaired, and implicitly Wright and Tin Man linked Tarrant Hightopp the Mad Hatter-played again by Depp, and by Louis A. Serkis as boy, respectively-and again triumph over the big headed, imperious, intimidating, and implicitly Katzenberg and Wicked Witch of the West linked Iracebeth of Crims, the Red Queen of Hearts aka “Racie”-played again by Carter, and as a girl by Leilah de Meza, respectively-and her new head lackey, the handlebar moustached, punctual, and implicitly Walter Murch and Nikko linked Time aka Tick Tock-played by Sacha B. Cohen-before returning in triumph to London to take over and refound the family trading business under the name of Kingsleigh and Kingsleigh with her middle aged but still beautiful, blonde, and implicitly Diane Polley linked mother Helen Kingsleigh-played again by Duncan-at the healing, harmonizing, eucatastrophic, and futterwackin’ end of a film that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Through The Looking Glass, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Cameron addressing Murch indie animaction film RETURN TO OZ (1985).

        Just as curiously, the following year, the Walt Disney Company again implicitly affirmed their fondness for Gilliam, Johnson, Kelly, and Polley and also openly affirmed that the original spirit of hand animated film art was still alive at the Mouse House when they collaborated with Tom Caulfield and Stephen Sandoval and also again with Levi and Moore to have the young, beautiful, green eyed, magical healing blonde haired, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked Princess Rapunzel-played again by Moore-team up again with the young, handsome, brunette, roguish, fryin’ pan luvin’, and implicitly Kelly and Scarecrow linked Flynn Rider aka “Eugene Fitzherbert”-played again by Levi-the small, green, silent but expressive, and implicitly Gilliam and Toto linked chameleon Pascal, and the valiant, crime hating, apple luvin’, Bucephalus evoking, and implicitly Johnson linked white stallion Maximus and now also with the confident, assertive, acerbic, intimidating, black haired and eyed, and implicitly Sugarman linked Lady-in-Waiting Cassandra-played by Eden Espinosa-to triumph over the beautiful, brunette, bitter, brooding, and implicitly SCC and Wicked Witch of the West linked Lady Caine-played by Laura Benanti-to the relieved delight of the kindly, greying, and implicitly Mick Polley and Great Oz linked King Frederic-played by Clancy Brown-and the equally kindly but more beautiful, slim, brunette, and implicitly Bigelow and Glinda linked Queen Arianna-played by Julie Bowen-at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie hand animated film TANGLED: BEFORE EVER AFTER (2017), a telefilm released on March 10, 2017 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to MARIE ANTOINETTE, TANGLED, THE BROTHERS GRIMM, and THE WIZARD OF OZ.  

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 affirmed that Mick’s reading of the first lines of Alias Grace at the beginning of STORIES WE TELL was prescient indeed when she donned the co-producer/co-executive producer/writer hats and collaborated 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 daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie 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.

        Smaller, less expensive, more intimate, thoughtful, mature and substantial indie artistry that returned when Marine Francen implicitly addressed the #MeToo movement and Wright’s website and implied that the lives of women and Wright would be as dull without the presences of sometimes brutal, crazy, lusty, rapacious and violent male film artists as were the lives of the young, beautiful, blonde, grieving and implicitly Polley linked Rose-played by Iliana Zabeth-and the equally young, beautiful, blonde, book luvin’ and either implicitly film art or Wright linked Violette-played by Pauline Burlet-and the rest of the girls, and young, middle aged and old women-including the gruff and implicitly Bigelow linked Marianne, played by Geraldine Pailhas-of a small and isolated French village after their male teens and men were taken from them in 1851 by anti-Republican Dark Forces of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, until that boredom was relieved by the arrival of young, handsome, bearded, equally book luvin’, amorous and implicitly Gilliam linked fugitive murderer Jean the blacksmith-played by Alban Lenoir-whose seduction by Violette using the Prelude to the allegorical and aptly entitled Victor Hugo poetry collection The Songs Of Twilight (1835) set off a passionate affair between the two that led to her pregnancy, his departure, and the birth of a brave new world of film art at the end of the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film LE SEMEUR/THE SOWER (2017), a film released on November 15, 2017 that was inspired by the real allegorical Violette Ailhaud court testimonial “L’homme Semence” (1852, published in 2006).    

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 daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Bigelow and Cameron addressing indie 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.

        Later that year, Clare Niederpruem implied her hope that Jolie and her indie film art would triumph over that of SCC like the young, medium height, slim, beautiful, long brunette haired, assertive, confident, creative, exuberant, vivacious but marital Union hatin’, and implicitly Jolie and Cowardly Lioness linked indie rebel and struggling writer Josephine “Jo” March-played by Sarah Davenport and as a girl by Aimee L. Johnson, respectively-went on to success as a writer after the death of her equally young and slim but shorter, less beautiful, short brunette haired, quiet, shy, sweet, spiritual, music luvin’, and implicitly SCC, Great Oz, and pre-war era linked sister Elizabeth “Beth” March-played by Allie Jennings and as a girl by Reese Oliveira, respectively-to the delight of her older but still young, medium height, slim, beautiful, long dark brunette haired and eyed, shy, marital Union luvin’, and implicitly Bigelow and Scarecrow linked sister Margaret “Meg” March-played by Melanie Stone and as a girl by Claire Covey, respectively-and her younger, medium height, beautiful, blonde, statuesque, drawing and painting luvin’, and implicitly Polley, Tin Woman, and post-war amity linked sister Amy March-played by Taylor Murphy and as a girl by Elise Jones and Jane Miller, respectively-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film LITTLE WOMEN (2018), a film released on September 28, 2018 that was a modern reimagining of Little Women and The Pickwick Papers, and that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to THE WIZARD OF OZ, the twilit, allegorical, slightly CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed SCC indie docufeature film THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (1999) and the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Gilliam addressing Jolie indie docufeature artbuster UNBROKEN (2014). 

        As for Dis, they implicitly reaffirmed their fondness for Polley and implicitly replied to DC, Warners and SUPERGIRL by teaming up with Marvel, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and having the young, beautiful, blonde, brainy, confident, steely, indomitable, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked U.S. Air Force Captain Carol “Avenger” Danvers aka Kree Starforce Warrior “Vers”-played by London Fuller as a six year old, McKenna Grace as a thirteen year old, and by Brie Larson as an adult, respectively-turn against her implicitly Muslim/Palestinian linked Kree friends on the implicitly Gaza linked planet of Hala led by the implicitly Guy Ritchie linked Commander Yon-Rogg-played by Jude Law-supported by the implicitly Roland Emmerich and Nikko the Monkey King linked Ronan the Accuser-played by Lee Pace-and commanded by the implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked A.I. Supreme Intelligence and embrace and save the implicitly Jewish/Israeli linked Skrulls led by the implicitly Cowardly Lion linked General Talos-fittingly played by Ben Mendelsohn-with the help of the implicitly Spike Lee and Scarecrow linked SHIELD Agent Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played by Samuel L. Jackson-the implicitly Avi Arad and Tin Man linked SHIELD Agent Philip “Phil” Coulson-played by Clark Gregg-the mysterious and implicitly Munro and Great Oz linked Doctor Wendy Lawson aka the Kree secret agent Mar-Vell-played by Annette Bening-and the implicitly Toto linked Goose the freakin’ Flerken and emerge as the blue space Infinity Stone powered and implicitly Glinda the Good Witch of the North linked “Captain Marvel” to imply the hope of Dis, Marv, Boden and Fleck that Lee and Polley would use their film art to advance the Jewish/Israeli cause as well as triumph over Emmerich and Ritchie at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019), a film released on February 27, 2019 that was inspired by a character created by Gentle Gene Colan and Rowdy Roy Thomas for Marvel Comics and that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to the Matrix Trilogy, STORIES WE TELL, and THE WIZARD OF OZ. 

And so, and ironically, after implicitly saving Jews/Israelis in CAPTAIN MARVEL, Dis, Marv and Anthony and Joseph Russo had the young, beautiful, blonde, smart, steely, and implicitly Polley and Glinda the Good Witch of the North linked Carol Danvers aka “Captain Marvel”-played again by Larson-team up with the tall, blonde, bearded, confident, powerful and implicitly Cameron and Cowardly Lion linked Thor, Norse God of Thunder-inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to J.R.R. Tolkien created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Chris Hemsworth-the young, handsome, brilliant but goofy, and implicitly Kelly linked Scott Lang aka “Ant-Man”- inspired by a character created by Jocund John Byrne, Bashful Bob Layton and Dapper David Michelinie for Marvel Comics, and played by Paul Rudd-the short, shy, thoughtful, introverted, thick haired, big eared, and implicitly Lucas and Scarecrow linked Dr. Bruce Banner aka “the Incredible Hulk”-inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to Pablo Picasso created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Mark Ruffalo-the young, handsome, brash, confident, intuitive, tech savvy, and implicitly Reitman and Great Oz linked Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to Andy Warhol created by Kirby, Lee, Doughty Don Heck and Laughin’ Larry Lieber for Marvel Comics, and played by Robert Downey jr.- the young, haunted, troubled, and implicitly Gilliam linked James “Bucky” Barnes aka “the Winter Soldier”-inspired by a character created by King Kirby and Jaunty Joe Simon for Timely Comics, the predecessor of Marvel Comics, and played by Scowlin’ Sebastian Stan “the Man”-and the short, weird, wiry, wacky, indie, STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies luvin’, and implicitly Wright linked high school student 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 towering, vainglorious, and implicitly Jewish and Michael Eisner linked mad Titan, Thanos-inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to Ronald Reagan 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 daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019), a film released on April 22, 2019 that affirmed its implicit interest in Burton, Gilliam, and Polley on three levels with allusions to ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, the Matrix Trilogy, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and TIME BANDITS in a titanic CGI enhanced super satirical animaction film that was 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. 

Smaller and more intimate indie docufeature film art that continued later that year when Greta Gerwig ended the year by collaborating with Denise Di Novi-producer of the first LITTLE WOMEN, now back as co-producer-to implicitly respond to Niederpruem and LITTLE WOMEN and to also implicitly hope that Jolie and Polley would fade away and be replaced in significance by writer/director Diablo Cody like the young, tall, slim, beautiful, blonde, assertive, confident, creative, exuberant, vivacious but marital Union hatin’, and implicitly Cody, Cowardly Lioness, and indie Southern Rebel linked indie rebel and struggling writer Josephine “Jo” March-played by Saoirse Ronan-took over and supported the March family with her success in literature after the death of the young, slim, short, pretty, blonde, quiet, shy, sweet, spiritual, music luvin’, and implicitly Polley, Great Oz, and pre-Civil War era linked Elizabeth “Beth” March-played by Eliza Scanlen-the decision to get married by the young, short, slim, beautiful, brunette, marital Union luvin’, and implicitly Jolie, Scarecrow, and stern Northern Patriot linked Margaret “Meg” March-played by Emma Watson-and the decision to abandon painting by the young, short, heavy set, beautiful, blonde, drawing and painting luvin’, and implicitly Niederpruem, Tin Woman, and post-Civil War amity linked Amy March-played by Florence Pugh-to the delight of the young, slim, handsome, brown haired and eyed, exuberant, mischievous, likably unlikable, and implicitly Reitman and Dorothy linked Theodore “Laurie” Laurence-played by Timothee Chalamet-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film LITTLE WOMEN (2019), a film released on December 7, 2019 that was inspired by Little Women, LITTLE WOMEN, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and UNBROKEN.

Two years later, the huge and expensive film art that continued when Sir Scott 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 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to THE WIZARD OF OZ.  Significantly, the following year Polley reaffirmed her dual commitment to the grounded, naturally lit, realist, and anti-Hollywood Toronto school of indie docufeature film art and her own more intimate, mature, substantial, and thoughtful Polleywood when she finally re-donned the writer/director hats and collaborated again with Montpellier and now also with co-executive producer Brad Pitt-who played the young, tall, slim, handsome, moustached, bespectacled, cigarette luvin’, deep drinkin’, often contrastingly white dress shirt and white hat wearin’, and implicitly James Gunn, Great Oz, and Nikko linked struggling writer husband Roland “Roly” Bertrand in BY THE SEA-and hear/say, MGM, Orion Pictures, Plan B Entertainment, and Universal Pictures, to implicitly reply to LE SEMEUR/THE SOWER with the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and naturally lit indie docufeature film WOMEN TALKING (2022), a film released on September 2, 2022 that was inspired by the daylit and allegorical Miram Toews indie docufiction novel Women Talking (2018).

 

“It went on for years.

To all of us.”

 

        For, after the suprising and snazzy new CGI intro for long vanished Orion Pictures, and the Plan B Entertainment and hear/say intros, and four white opening titles on a blank black Spielberg screen that made no mention of writer/director, cast, and crew, the moving film began with the first words of the film long voiceover (VO) narration by the young, short, slim, beautiful, and implicitly either Seyfried or Sydney Sweeney linked blonde girl Autje-played by Kate Hallett-as the young, slim, beautiful, blonde, affable, and implicitly Francen linked Mennonite woman Ona-played by Rooney Mara-waking up one bloody and painful morning to discover that she had been raped and impregnated as she slept that night by one of the men of the California and Hollywood cadenced Manitoba Mennonite colony in equally California cadenced Bolivia, an occurrence that was all too common in the colony.  It was a horrific beginning, a horror enhanced by the washed out colour of the film, which was filtered so dark it came across as fully black and white, fittingly giving it a horror film ambience.  It also reminded us that the sexual assault of girls and women by boys and men of the Hollywood film colony in the Greater Los Angeles Area (GLAA) was also all too common, implicitly linking the Manitoba Mennonite colony to the Hollywood film colony. 

Months later, as Ona swelled in pregnancy, the men left the colony by horse drawn buggy for two days in order to post bail for male members who had been arrested and jailed at last for sexual assault.  Thus, in the sight and sound of Ona and the rest of the Mennonite colony’s women-their dark headscarves and long dark dresses evoking the environmentally beautiful but socially backwards environs of Transylvania in the allegorical and implicitly Great Irish Famine exorcising Bram Stoker indie docufiction novel Dracula (1897) to increase the horror film evoking ambience of WOMEN TALKING-many of whom had suffered the same fate as Ona, and whose ranks included the young, medium heighted, slim, brunette, beautiful, tough and implicitly Bigelow linked Mariche, the young, short, slim, beautiful, sweet, and implicitly Fisher linked girl Neitje Friesen, the young, short, chubby, brunette, bespectacled, moon faced, and implicitly Gilliam linked Mejal, the old, short, slim, grey haired, bespectacled, genial, toothless, and implicitly Eric Idle linked Greta, and the young, short, slim, brunette, boyish, transgender, and implicitly Elliot Page linked Melvin-played by Jessie Buckley, Liv McNeil, Michelle McLeod, Sheila McCarthy, and August Winter, respectively-taking advantage of the absence of the male teens and men of the colony and, aided by the young, slim, brunette, shy, educated, thoughtful, Anthony Perkins resembling, but perhaps Jay Baruchel linked August-played by Ben Whishaw-engaging in a passionate and thoughtful film long debate over whether they should do nothing about the rapes and pregnancies that the colony’s men had inflicted on them for years, stay and fight the men, or simply leave the colony for a better and male free existence somewhere else, Polley implicitly wondered if Francen would be so blase about the presences of sometimes brutal, crazy, lusty, rapacious, and violent male film artists and their attacks on females in the world of film art if she had been raped and impregnated by one. 

Despite Ona’s insistence that she luved her yet to be born child and the male who raped her, the sight and sound of Ona joining the rest of the women in deciding to leave the colony as decisively as Margot left Lou at the end of TAKE THIS WALTZ in order to get the necessary distance to understand what  happened to her and the others and to eventually forgive implied that Polley believed that Francen would have quite a different perspective on the matter if she had been Ona and that she wondered if girls and women should leave the Hollywood colony and form their own Polleywood.  Curiously, the sight and sound of the women leaving the Mennonite colony evoked the sight and sound of the young, short, slim, and beautiful Sister Luke-played by Audrey Hepburn-leaving behind her life as a nun in the Roman Catholic Church in Belgium and returning to her everyday life as Gabrielle “Gaby” Van Der Mal in Brussels after occupying Nazis killed her old, tall, slim, bald, moustached, and implicitly Jack Warner linked father Doctor Hubert Van Der Mal-played by Dean Jagger-which had also implied that women would one day leave Hollywood and go off on their own indie path as the older and more controlling Hollywood studio heads like Warner died at the end of the allegorical Fred Zinneman docufeature film THE NUN’S STORY (1959), a film inspired by the allegorical Kathryn C. Hulme indie docufiction novel The Nun’s Story (1956) that reminded us that young women then and now were encouraged to leave behind their real names and personalities and adopt Hollywood star names and personalities when they become a part of Hollywood like nuns then and now were and are to this day.  At any rate, the fact that Ona gave birth to her rapacious child-played by A.I. Smithee-like Violette gave birth to her child at the end of LE SEMEUR/THE SOWER as Autje asserted confidently “…Your story will be different from ours”, not only evoked Mick’s equally confident affirmation that he would go on at the end of STORIES WE TELL, but also implicitly affirmed the hope of Polley that a brave new world of film art that gave women the ability to create film art free of harassment, attacks, and rapes would still indeed be born, particularly in Canada, where girls and women became free and equal under the law with the full adoption of the new Constitution on April 19, 1985, whether girls and women stayed in or left Hollywood, despite all of the male opposition to and abuse of that brave new female world.

A sobering and thought provoking film, indeed, that reaffirmed the commitment of Polley to her own Polleywood version of the grounded, naturally lit, realist, and anti-Hollywood Toronto school of indie docufeature film art.  Thus, it was ironic that WOMEN TALKING led to Polley being fittingly awarded an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay the following year by the august Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  WOMEN TALKING was also implicitly replied to in a film released early next year when Tragicomically, the following year, had the young, short, slim, beautiful, blonde, intelligent, talented, courageous, indomitable, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked aspiring actress Madeleine Verdier-played by Nadia Tereszkiewicz-team up with the young, short, slim, beautiful, brunette, intelligent, educated, courageous, indomitable, and implicitly Jolie and Cowardly Lion linked lawyer Pauline Mauleon-played by Rebecca Marder-and the middle aged, short, slim, beautiful, red haired, courageous, indomitable, renowned, and implicitly Atwood and Glinda linked silent film actress Odette Chaumette-played by Isabelle Huppert-to triumph over the old, short, fat, wealthy, odious, sexually abusive, and implicitly Harvey Weinstein and Wicked Witch of the East linked theatrical producer Montferrand-played by Jean-Christophe Bouvet-to great critical and popular acclaim including that of the middle aged and heighted, heavyset, brunette, indomitable, and implicitly Mavis Gallant linked Concierge Madame Jus-played by Myriam Boyer-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film MON CRIME aka THE CRIME IS MINE (2023), a film released on January 21, 2023 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to ALIAS GRACE, TAKE THIS WALTZ, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and WOMEN TALKING.

The following month, Ilker Catak implied that Polley’s attempt to clean up Hollywood could make things worse like the attempt by the young, short, slim, blonde, pretty, earnest, well meant, intelligent, educated, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked elementary school teacher Carla Nowak-played by Leonie Benesch-to improve conditions in her class and school made things worse in both throughout the tragicomic, daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film DAS LEHRERZIMMER aka THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE (2023), a film released on February 18, 2023 that a f firmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to THE WIZARD OF OZ and WOMEN TALKING.  The following month, Kelly F. Craig teamed up with Judy Blume and Lionsgate to implicitly and gently roast Polley and Reitman in the implicit forms of geeky and eager to increase the size of their busts Grade 6 schoolgirls Nancy Wheeler and Margaret Simon-played by Elle Graham and Abby R. Fortson, respectively-and also implied that the confusion and tension between Simon’s Christian and Jewish sides mirrored the confusion and tension between Reitman’s Christian/Jewish, American/Canadian and artsy/blockbuster sides with no implicit interest in a possible similar confusion and tension between Polley and Wheeler’s English/Canadian and Christian/Jewish sides in the daylit, allegorical, montage luvin’ and slightly CGI enhanced docufeature film “ARE YOU THERE GOD?  IT’S ME, MARGARET.” (2023), a film released on April 23, 2023 that was inspired by the allegorical Blume indie docufiction novel “Are You There, God?  It’s Me, Margaret.” (1970), and whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to STORIES WE TELL and WOMEN TALKING. 

As for Gerwig, she collaborated with Mattel and Warner Brothers to implicitly respond to “perfect” Polley and WOMEN TALKING and its wistful dream of women heading off in the end to find or found a perfect world free of harassment by men or any other problems in the exuberantly dismal, daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed animaction filmmercial BARBIE (2023), a film released on July 9, 2023.

 

“Good luck

in

the Real World!”

 

        Indeed, the film saw the eternally young, medium heighted, slim, beautiful, blonde, curvaceous, perfect, stereotypical, and implicitly Polley and Dorothy linked Original Barbie-played by Margot Robbie, also co-producer of the film-be persuaded by the older, short, wild peroxide blonde haired, colour fully made up and dressed, and implicitly Cyndi Lauper and Glinda linked Weird Barbie-played by Kate McKinnon-to leave Oz evoking and perfect pastel coloured but pure fantasy Barbie Land and head on the right path west to, and struggle to deal with and understand, the Kansas evoking and imperfect but Real World.  Thus, the sight and sound of Barbie being helped by the old, short, slim, grey haired, thoughtful, and implicitly Atwood and Glinda the Good linked Ruth Handler, creator of Barbie-played by Rhea Perlman-to leave behind the fantasy of finding or founding a perfect world for women and any and all Replicant evoking doll status and defeating the old, tall, slim, curly grey haired, suited, and implicitly Cameron and Great Oz linked Mattel CEO-played by Will Ferrell-and also leaving behind the eternally young, medium heighted, handsome, blonde, muscular, all too clinging, patriarchal man’s world obsessed, and implicitly Sir Scott and Scarecrow linked Ken-played by Ryan Gosling-in the end implied the hope of Gerwig that Polley would also leave behind the fantasy of finding or founding a perfect world for women and any and all Replicant evoking doll status and embrace her perfectly imperfect and vital humanity in order to create a film that would triumph over and defeat men like Cameron and Sir Scott in reality in a film that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to AWAY FROM HER, THE LAST DUEL, THE WIZARD OF OZ, WOMEN TALKING, the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Matthew Robbins addressing Sir Scott indie docufeature artbuster BLADE RUNNER (1982), and the allegorical and Ozian themed Stanley Kubrick docufeature artbuster 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968). 

        Later that year, Dis, Marv and Nia DaCosta teamed up to have their own beautiful, blonde, brainy, sweet, steely, indomitable, blue space Infinity Stone powered, and implicitly Polley and Glinda linked Carol Danvers aka “Captain Marvel”-played again by Larson-team up with the short, cut, adoring, and implicitly Marjane Satrapi and Scarecrow linked Jersey City, NJ Muslim teen fangirl Kamala Khan aka “Ms. Marvel”-played by Iman Vellani-the implicitly Cowardly Lion linked Captain Monica Rambeau-played by Teyonah Parris-the implicitly Lee and Tin Man linked Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-now watching over Earth in a satellite as the Director of the Strategic Aerospace Biophysics and Exolinguistic Response [S.A.B.E.R.], the young, handsome, charming, Disney evoking, and implicitly Great Oz linked Prince Yan-played by Park Seo-joon-of the Song planet of Aladna and the implicitly Toto linked Goose the Flerken and children to again take on and take out the implicitly Muslim/Palestinian linked Kree and their new leader, the Ronan the Accuser evoking, Universal Band lusting and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Dar-Benn the Supremor-played by Zawe Ashton-to save the implicitly Jewish/Israeli linked Skrulls before Captain Marvel then saved the Kree and their implicitly Gaza linked planet of Hala by reactivating their dormant sun to bring peace to the Kree and the Skrulls and hence implicitly between Muslims/Palestinians and Jews/Israelis at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film THE MARVELS (2023), a film released on November 8, 2023 whose hopeful implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to CAPTAIN MARVEL, THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, the Matrix Trilogy, and THE WIZARD OF OZ, but whose implicitly optimistic hope was swept away, alas, by the horrific and  barbaric Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 a month before the release of the film. 

Curiously, the following year, newfound film artist Ishana N. Shyamalan implicitly addressed Polley in the daylit and twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film THE WATCHERS (2024), a film released on June 2, 2024 that was inspired by the twilit and allegorical A.M. Shine indie docufiction novel The Watchers (2021).

 

“There’s a forest

in the west of Ireland

that does not appear

on any map.

The say it draws in lost souls

like moths to a flame.”

 

Just as curiously, the film began with the young, beautiful, blonde, cigarette luvin’, doodlin’ and drawin’, and implicitly Polley linked American expatriate and Galway pet shop employee Mina aka “Meens” aka “Caroline the ballerina”-as haunted by the death of her beautiful blonde mother (played by Siobhan Hewlett) in a car accident that Meens had inadvertently caused as Polley was haunted by the death of her beautiful blonde mother, and played by Dakota Fanning and as a twin girl in flashbacks by Hannah Dargan, respectively-being asked by her mysterious but implicitly Gilliam linked boss Burke-played by Anthony Morris-to drive an unnamed but lively and talkative golden conure parrot, a “…beautiful breed” that evoked the dead parrot in the famous MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS sketch to affirm the implicit link of Burke to Gilliam-and played by Joel Figueroa-to a zoo in Belfast.  Resignedly driving off on her Grail quest, Meens was soon dismayed to find her SUV breaking down in the midst of a creepy, seemingly endless, and implicitly Hollywood linked nearby forest that evoked the equally creepy, seemingly endless, and CGI enhanced forest with its beautiful, bewitching, vainglorious, vampiric, and implicitly Walt Disney Company and Wicked Witch of the West linked Wicked Queen of Mirrors and Illusions-played by Monica Belluci-that terrorized the inhabitants of the nearby town of Marbaden, Germany in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, fantastic realist, madcap, and satirical Gilliam animaction film THE BROTHERS GRIMM (2005) to reaffirm the implicit link of Burke to Gilliam.

Abandoning the SUV and soon lost in the dense and endless forest with the parrot she dubbed “Darwin” instead of “Terry”, Meens was pleased to be found by the old, long white haired, black clad, and implicitly Deborah Landis linked Madeline-played by Olwen Fouere-who led Meens back to the bunker called “the Coop” that she lived in with the young and ambiguously linked Ciara and Daniel-played by Georgina Campbell and Oliver Finnegan, respectively.  Here Meens discovered that the Coop was the ex-research outpost of the deceased, strange, nutty, greying hair and bearded, and implicitly Landis and Great Oz linked Professor Rory Kilmartin-played by John Lynch-who used the bunker to study the forest’s creepy, monstrous, shapeshifting, and implicitly audience and flying monkey linked all CGI Watchers.  Alas, here she also discovered that she was expected to stay and join in the strange performance that Ciara, Daniel, and Madeline put on for the weird Watchers, as fickle and equivocal as the audiences to which they were implicitly linked, each night through the one way glass of the bunker’s wide window like some sort of weird reality tv show.

Tiring of being cooped up in such strange surroundings, Meens soon persuaded Ciara, Daniel, and Madeline to fly the Coop with Darwin and herself and make a desperate escape from the forest, a desperate flight back to Galway that led to Daniel being caught and killed by the weird Watchers.  A successful escape that led to Meens outing Madeline one fateful night in Galway as an ambiguous, potentially Evil, implicitly Wicked Witch of the West or Glinda linked, shapeshifting, and half-human, half-creepy CGI Watcher halfling shapeshifter called Ainriochtan aka “The Strange One” aka “The Daywalker” aka “The Deformity” that was the offspring of Prof. Kilmartin and a Watcher during his lonely years at the Coop, a halfling that liked to take on the appearance of Prof. Kilmartin s dead wife Prof. Madeline Kilmartin.  Thus, in the shock of the revelation of Meens causing Madeline to sprout wings and fly away, and daylight to later return, Shyamalan implied either her hope that Polley would exorcise John and Deborah Landis and the TZ disaster from audiences, film art, film artists, and the Temple Theatre with her film art and daylight to return to the City of the Angels, or her fear that Polley would not fully succeed in exorcising John and Deborah Landis and the TZ disaster from audiences, film art, film artists, and the Temple Theatre with her film art and daylight to return to the City of the Angels, causing a small piece of twilight to continue to haunt the world like the short, red haired, strange, sinister, and implicitly shapeshifter Ainirochtan disguised Irish girl-played by Eabha Connolly-that haunted Meens at the ambiguous end of a film that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to CAPTAIN MARVEL, MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS, STORIES WE TELL, THE BROTHERS GRIMM, THE WIZARD OF OZ, the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical and implicitly Stanley Kubrick roasting Landis indie docufeature film AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981), the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Kubrick indie docufeature artbuster THE SHINING (1980), and the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, Kennedy, Marshall, and Spielberg produced Tobe Hooper docufeature film POLTERGEIST (1982).

At any rate, THE WATCHERS was a fine first feature film by young Shyamalan that reassured audiences that the family film art tradition begun by her father M. Night Shyamalan was as in as good hands as the Coppola family art tradition was in the hands of GC and SCC, just as the film art of Polley reassured audiences and Cronenberg that in good hands was the grounded, realist, naturally lit, and anti-Hollywood 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 daylit, exuberantly adulterous, and unadulteratedly exuberant film art was the beautiful, brainy, sweet and steely blonde Polley, the living embodiment of indie docufeature film, and of telefilm and theatrical art, 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.

 

Stoker, Bram.  Dracula.  London: Collins, 2021.