The Mirror David Christensen, Canada, 2009, 85 minutes
Friday, May 14 | 6:30pm | Vancity Theatre
The Italian town of Viganella dwells in darkness eighty-three days of the year. Naturally enough, it’s not much of a tourist hot spot. With gumption, zeal and more than a touch of hubris, the local mayor decides to remedy his town’s dreariness by installing a giant mirror to reflect sunlight to the pale citizenry. Some of the locals are less than thrilled at the prospect. But with their whip-thin mayor clearly in a froth over the idea, the project gallops ahead. What follows is a wryly touching story of light and darkness and many shades of grey.
Against the deep green of the Italian Alps, the village of Viganella has slowly been losing its population through the usual process of attrition. Young people move away and don’t come back, and as the village elders slip their mortal coil, the town shows every sign of disappearing. (The population has dwindled from 100 souls to less than 30 in recent years.) Even while some hippy types from Germany set up a Buddhist commune on the mountainside (naturally enough in a permanently sunny location), the towns folks dwell in gloom from November through February.
Director David Christensen brings a purposefully light touch to the saga, introducing each narrative development with a somewhat wry intertitle that details each stage of the mirror’s construction, arrival and placement, via helicopter and a ground crew of men, desperately tugging on various ropes and pulleys. As the world media convenes on the village, and the mayor’s cell phone rings off the hook, the drama begins to mount. Will the project with its Icarus-like aspects actually work, or will the villagers be forever consigned to live in dimness and anonymity?
An almost ridiculously lovely film (keep your eyes peeled for the final bravura shot in particular), The Mirror is a thoughtful and intelligent look at the predicament faced by small rural centres. The final moment of glory, when the sun comes up and hits the shining reflective surface, must be witnessed. Whatever the eventual outcome for the town and its inhabitants, this singular moment of exquisite beauty makes it all worthwhile.
“Both the documentary and the town of Viganella, has this naturalness to it that you can’t help but enjoy. ... We are left with a feeling of love for this town and its inhabitants. Indeed, it truly is a fairy tale, what was once dark is now light...”
- True/False Film Festival
Filmmaker in attendance
Director’s biography
David Christensen is a producer/director/writer from Canada. His company, Agitprop Films, has been producing feature and documentary films since 1997. His documentary War Hospital premiered at the 2005 Vancouver International Film Festival and was invited to screen at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He recently completed the dramatic feature film, Six Figures, based on the novel by Fred Leebron which premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, was nominated for a Genie Award, and has been listed on numerous top-ten film lists of 2006. Christensen is currently the Executive Producer of the National Film Board of Canada’s North West Centre.
