Canary (film)
Canary is an American independent film directed by Alejandro Adams and produced by Adams with Marya Murphy. Shot in a style similar to Dogme 95, Canary is an intentionally genre-ambiguous science fiction, thriller and drama with comic elements.
Plot and structure
The non-linear narrative follows the inner workings of the fictional Canary Industries Corporation, a biotechnology outfit that leases organs to patients, on the proviso that they take care of them with a pre-delineated diet and exercise regimen. If the patient fails to do this, the organ will be repossessed. Meanwhile, a television news team, headed by a sexist segment producer and his long-suffering female assistant, chase the story of how the organs are harvested. The agent in charge of harvesting the organs (Carla Pauli) silently stalks her various victims.
The various characters in Canary, including the protagonist, are static, and the dialog is largely conversational, and not meant to move the plot forward. Though the setting is never explicitly stated, it can be inferred that it takes place in the San Francisco Bay Area. The film highlights the diversity of the area, with long, unsubtitled sequences of character conversing in Russian, Korean and German, as well as English.
Production
Canary was shot in 2008 in and around the San Francisco Bay. Local actors and non-actors were cast. It was shot on standard definition video for low cost. It is a follow-up to Adams' first film, Around the Bay (2008).
Distribution
Canary premiered at the Cinequest Film Festival on 1 March, 2009. Many of the cast and crew were present, including the director, who answered questions after the screening. The film is set to screen at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal in July, 2009.