Confessions of a Small-Town Cineaste

Maybe it's the Catholic boy in me, but I think it's time for a confession.

I never meant to end up in a small town. Like every other maritimer who's left home, I came here for a job. I presumed that some sacrifices would be required of me to live in a small town, but for the most part, I couldn't think of one that I wasn't prepared to make. Until now.

Of course, for a cineaste, the term "small town" covers a lot of ground. I used to think of London, Ontario (a city of around 300,000) as a small town, because they weren't showing Punch Drunk Love in any local theatres, and I had to drive 2 hours to Toronto to see Seven Samurai. Little did I know...

Nelson is a cool small town - no question about that. Its arts and culture scene is more vibrant (or at least equal to) that of many larger centers. There are some great, creative, energetic people here who have a real commitment to the arts. Despite all that, there's no good cinema, no repertory cinema, no serious film society and basically no opportunity for seeing good films out of the comfort of your home. Having a good video store with a large back catalog helps, as does having a nice home theatre, but it's not a substitute for the true cinematic experience.

I miss the sense that a film was an event. I miss having a local art theatre profile a director (like the Vancity Festival Cinema does in Vancouver), showing several of their films in a given week, allowing a real appreciation for auteurism. I miss midnight screenings of cult favourites (like Wormwood's used to back in Halifax). I miss real film festivals, with older films mixed with the new, put in context by filmmakers and film scholars, rather than political documentaries and token Canadian films tossed out once a month.

When I first came here, I thought I would miss malls, big box stores and the like - not so. I thought I would miss the anonymity of a city, and I do occasionally. But what I really miss is the opportunity to be a true cineaste, to lose myself in the dark with a great piece of cinema.

I guess my most telling confession is that after five years, I've finally found something I miss about Vancouver.