ELA A30 Movie Review One Week is a Canadian film about a young man diagnosed with terminal cancer.

As he struggles to face the reality of his imminent death, Ben Tyler buys a motorcycle and, leaving behind his family and fiance, sets off from his home in Toronto on a journey across Canada. As the people and places touch his heart, he begins to truly see and take hold of his life for the first time. This film is, above anything else, a Canadian film. Written and directed by Canadian ichael c!owan, the drama features a mainly Canadian cast, starring "oshua "ackson and #iane Balaban, and the background music throughout is performed entirely by Canadian artists. This all adds to the e$perience of the focal character, Ben Tyler %played by "oshua "ackson&, as he discovers his country and discovers himself. ' never would have thought a movie like this would work. (rior to watching it, ' had heard that it showcased the beauty of Canada while telling a moving story. 'n all honesty, ' was anticipating brutal mediocrity in a film that attempted to shamelessly advertise a country using an under)thought story line. Thankfully, my prediction was completely inaccurate and ' *uite enjoyed the film. The movie opens with a narrator+s voice %Campbell ,cott&, posing to the audience the *uestion, -What would you do if you knew you only had one day, or one week, or one month to live./ This *uestion becomes the theme of the movie as a doctor breaks the news to Ben that he has an aggressive form of cancer and only a small chance of survival. y initial reaction to One Week, once ' began watching, was that ' thought it was a bit bi0arre. When Ben is hit with the news of his probable death, a bird bloodily hits the window, then Ben pulls out a handgun and abruptly shoots himself. 1ot a very subtle way to convey Ben+s feelings, and yet there is a brilliant subtlety to the movie2 ' got swept up into it so thoroughly that ' ended up researching it, wondering if it was a true story. 't doesn+t feel like '+m watching a movie, but rather that ' am seeing a real account of Ben Tyler+s life as told by himself. The sometimes dry)humoured narration, the e$cellent acting %*uality was not compromised in obtaining Canadian talent&, and the style of filming made this a very realistic drama. Ben buys an old motorcycle and decides to travel west. 3e is looking for something profound and life) changing, hoping that he can shake his feeling of discontentment. As he journeys, he feels the joy and e$hilaration of spontaneity and is able to assess his troubles with a clearer head, not being surrounded by them. Ben is a very interesting character to get to know. 3e is terrified at the thought of death, yet doesn+t seem to have a lot of 0eal for life. 3e is, in other words, a very ordinary person and therefor easy to relate to. The struggles of Ben Tyler are the main focus of One Week, but one of the biggest dilemmas he faces is his relationship with his fiance, ,amantha (ierce %played by #iane Balaban&. The relationship they have is refreshing to see in a film, ' think, because it is very real. 't cannot be said that they don+t love each other, but there is much more to their feelings than that2 it is not black and white as cinematic romances so often are. Ben reali0es that she is not +the one+ for him, but instead of ,amantha having a conveniently similar feeling, she admits to him that he was always +the one+ for her. 'n their conversation, as they sort out their feelings, it is easy to see that it is not a happy conclusion for either of them. This is another way that the movie seems so real2 Ben is able to sort out his life, but it doesn+t

mean that everything ends happily. 4illed with wit and charm, One Week tells a captivating story about an ordinary man who took a look at his life. 't+s the sort of movie that can get you wondering2 what would ' do if ' had only one week to live.