MY OLD COLLABORATOR, BRUCE MCDONALD HAS A repeating motif in his work of the sleeping female being observed. SEE: Roadkill (1989) as the director, "As Himself" pans the 16mm camera from a mirror onto the sleeping figure of "Ramona" played by Valerie Buhagiar -- SEE: Picture Claire (2001) as Juliette Lewis' character, Claire, is the subject of a photo exhibition that consists of mural sized images of her face as she sleeps. SEE: Highway 61 (1991) as Don McKellar's, Pokey Jones watches Valerie Buhagiar's, Jackie Bangs character asleep in the car after an all night drive on their way to the birthplace of Bob Dylan in Duluth, Minnesota. Subsequently one of Bruce's earliest shorts, I believe it was, Knock! Knock! (1985) began as a quasi documentary where he filmed the inside of people's bedrooms. He got as far as his parents' and then the narrative devolves from there. Bruce was in town a few weeks back to promote his latest film, Pontypool. We caught up for drinks and I asked him about this repeating image in his work. He hadn't noticed the pattern but I take Bruce for a far more complicated fellow than he would have us believe. I suspect there's a much larger narrative purpose at work here.
WAITING FOR MY SON TO RISE.
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