n| substrates by Kevin Langdale nO a film by Robert Lepage by Lionel Doe Inspired by the play “Les Sept branches de la riviére Ota” (The Seven streams of the river Ota), “No” is set in Osaka, Japan during the 1970 World Fair, and Montreal, Quebec during the FLQ crisis. | Thematically the film parallels individual life dilemmas and uncertainty with that of the angst ridden political climate of Quebec as Prime Minister Trudeau imposes the War Measures Act with his famous words, “Just watch me”. Nutshell - Sophie, an actress on tour in Japan discovers that the nausea she feels while watching a traditional Japanese Noh play is actually the result of a pregnancy two months along. When she phones her boyfriend Michel in Montreal at 4 a.m. the conversation goes sour over career ideals and is interrupted by loud knocking at his door. Michel hangs up and Sophie is left to believe he is having an affair. Upset and confused with what to do with her life, she accepts a dinner invitation by a Canadian embassy official,Walter, and his abrasive wife, Patricia. Sophie weathers a few hours of caustic remarks from Patricia and proceeds to get smashed on saki, later taking Walter, the stiff diplomat back to her hotel. Meanwhile, the audience learns, the knock on the door in Montreal is Michel’s FLQ sympathizing cronies, who have narrowly escaped arrest by the police. Together with Michel, they stumble through the procedures and protocol of delivering a bomb as a message to the government of their cultural and political oppression. Comic relief is delivered as the three discover they set m the bomb to the wrong clock of Michel’s two, one serving as Japan time, they evacuate the apartment seconds before it explodes. It Obvigusy h hig Seem iPes! ity explodes the precise moment that all goes wrong for Sophie in Osaka - the diplomat’s wife catches Sophie and him together in Sophie’s apartment and she learns of the War Measures Act being imposed, endangering her boyfriend. Lepage is exploring how individuals as well as nations get through times of uncertainty and strife, how they learn to live with others successfully and diplomatically. The maternity references strike an interesting commentary on Quebec in Canada, its resultant uncertainty and at times, turmoil. A parody of individual strife and political uprising, the film ends with one long shot of Michel and Sophie watching the results of the 1980 referendum in their home while discussing where they stood individually on the issues of child bearing and life commitments, that it really ends up coming down to a voters choice between the two of them. Funny, no? “No” adds a sense of humor to the usual Lepage stew of parallel themes (individual and national) and loads of symbolism to give the audience a mesmerizing 83 minutes with something to IMAGINE ° mighty OSS are ex sang ption Would fowl. don't hold a let oat The once nagestc sya, 0 Q @ s/her proverbial Podium , ha yay Might Say. Bis and expensive. hydro carbons something stinky 5 lost Lions a 9a \lons of ‘cians fies th tha} Rey bein fen vious Simply vat Q world it auf ei Not So: tue n . Bikes hy fee pee hy. ote walk away with too. Co N f Sc tio a S (continued from previous page) Bicyclists Dismount “What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?” “Real is not how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” “Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit. “Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real, you don’t mind being hurt.” “Does it happen all at once?” “Tt doesn’t happen all at once. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” I chose this story not only because it deals with issue of what is real (which is essentially the issue we’re dealing with when we wear costumes), but because it also deals with the subject of beauty, and beauty is a topic of Halloween. The whole propaganda of Halloween (the commercials and advertisements we see) is for people to dress up as really scary, ugly things; but underneath all that falseness and ugliness are beautiful, real people. If you wear a costume at Halloween you will most likely be something beautiful or real (princess, animal, toaster) or something ugly or fictitious (witch, goblin, chainsaw massacrist) and I believe what we choose to be for Halloween is a reflection of the realness or fictitiousness, and the ugliness or beauty we see in ourselves. Perhaps we want to Trick-or-Treat, celebrate Halloween and get dressed up because we want to escape from reality. We want to be fictitious. It is not a coincidence that most costumes are either fictitious characters from books, television, movies, and myths taken from our many forms of mental escapism, or humanized objects. We can’t actually be a toaster, we can be a grossly December 1998 e influx 26053 oversized, non-functional toaster, a surreal toaster, a fictitious toaster, but never a real toaster. But on Halloween we don’t want to be real because, as the Skin Horse told the Velveteen Rabbit, “sometimes, being real hurts” and Halloween is our escape from that pain. We get to hang out in groups, we hide ourselves in costumes, eat candy (which for some people is like taking a drug), and if we’re into it we get to drink alcohol or do drugs; these are all forms of escape. Or maybe we want to Trick-or-Treat because we want to be children again. We want to fantasize socially as children are allowed to do (let’s play pretend, let’s play dress up, let’s read a book, let’s watch cartoons...). We want to be children and play with toys and our imaginations. We want our small, dexterous, agile, light bodies back. Our bodies before these strange things called hormones took over and changed us; our bodies that could be carried up to bed and tucked in. We want to run and yell and laugh and sing and play and have everything we do be a new and exciting learning experience, instead of the dull, monotonous, repetitiveness of adult life. We want to eat without worrying about our health, we want to go through the day without worrying if the oven has been turned off or if the electricity bill has been paid. We want someone to look after us and care for us (because caring for ourselves has turned out to be such a terrific burden). Dare I say it, we want to be loved. The real question here is not if we want to go Trick-or- Treating, because we do. We want to eat candy, we want to be in a social group, we want to dress up, we want to escape, and we want to do something childish. We want all of that. The real questions we should be asking are: What are we saying about ourselves when we dress up and go to social functions? Who are we and who are we trying to be? In our search for the truth, what can we learn in fantasy? And what can we learn about ourselves through the simple act of Trick-or-Treating or even just wanting to Trick-or-Treat? by Simon Piniel Riding a bicycle in Zurich is like eating bread, so I © bought a bike during the first few days after my arrival in Vancouver as an exchange student at Emily Carr. I had been warned by several people that car drivers just don’t care about bikes, so I was prepared for the worst. I soon experienced that Vancouver and Zurich function by more or less the same hierarchy of traffic. First of all, there are solemn pedestrians falling into the street like Indian cows at the most impossible spots. Then, there are cars taking care of the pedestrians no matter what they might do in the middle of the road. Then, there are the trucks who never care about anything. Then, there are those crazy in-line skaters who prefer to go in the street and only care about themselves, followed by pigeons, hedgehogs, snails, and slugs who usually just get run over. And after all that there are the bikes. As a bike rider you’ve got to make your own way through the jungle; you’re the outlaw fighting for your own rights because no one ever gives you any. If you ever reach your goal, jump off you steel horse, rip off your helmet dripping with sweat, and scream: “I am a survivor!” I already had to wreck somebody’s car door that opened up while I passed, but that was in Zurich. No, Vancouver drivers aren’t that bad. They try so hard to be nice, I believe they have three legs and always leave one on the brake. However, they’re still car drivers. Police are nice too, especially if you sir or ma’am them, believe me. But what really makes a difference in Vancouver is the roads! In Zurich you always have the possibility to bypass red lights, to avoid the mess in the street and jump on the sidewalk, to cross the wildest traffic in the shadow of a tram, to enjoy a ride on your own straight bicycle path that you don’t have to share with bikers or bladers coming the other way or pedestrians lying in the road. Here you have to pull on the brakes every damn block and start all over again. You’re supposed to hang in the middle of the crossing and have cars honking at you when you’re waiting for the opposite traffic to pass when you want to turn left. You’re allowed to go 15 kilometers an hour and smile. Riding a bike in Vancouver would be so much more attractive if there were better roads. So far it’s considered an activity for fitness buffs on weekends; and not an efficient option for everybody to go to work or school each day. If thoughts can move mountains, think about it. Ten minutes of mere spiritual concentration a day is all it takes to grow some comfortable bicycle paths. Just make sure enough people share you: id7a. feunsteyea iS) nO a film by Robert Lepage by Lionel Doe Inspired by the play “Les Sept branches de la sviee (Ou” The Seven streams ofthe river Ot iret in Ora, Jepan during the 1970 World Fair, and Montreal, Quebec during the FLQ crisis. Thematcally the film parallels individual ie dilemmas and uncertainty with that ofthe angst ridden political climate of Qucbee as Prime Minister Trudeas imposes the War Measures Act with his famous words, "Just watch me” [arabe - Sophie, an actress on tour in Japan discovers thatthe nausea she fees while watching a traditional Japanese Noh ply + actually the result of a pregnancy two months along. When she phones her boyfriend’ Michel in Montreal at 4am. the ‘conversation goes sour over career ideals and is interrupted by Toud knocking at his door. Michel hangs up and Sophie i left ro believe he shaving an ali. Upset and confused with what to do with her lie, she accepts a dinner invitation by a Canadian embassy official Walter, and his abrasive wife, Patricia. Sophie ‘weathers a few hours of caustic remarks fom Patricia and proceeds to get smashed on sak, Inter taking Walter, the sift ‘iplomat back oer hotel Mean, ence learns, the knock on the dooe ‘sympathing cronies, who have narrowly escaped acest by the police. Together with Miche, they Stumble dough the procedures and protocol af delivering a bomb 4 a message to the goverment of thir cultural and politcal ‘Oppression. Comic rit is delivered athe three discover thy st the bomb tothe wrong clock of Miche’ two, one serving as Japan time, they evacuate the apartment seconds before it explodes. It ‘explodes the precite moment that all goes wrong for Sophie in (Osaka - the diplomats wife eatches Sophie and him together in ‘Sophie's apartment and she learns ofthe War Measures Act being osed, endangering her boyfriend Lepage is exploring how individuals aswell a¢ nations set through times of uncertainy and strife how thy learn ¢0 Ive ‘with others. successfully and diplomatically. The. maternity ‘references strike an ntecving commentary on Quebec in Canada, ft reulant uncertainty and at times, turmoil A parody of individual strife and politcal uprising, the fm ends with one long shot of Michel and Sophie watching the results of the 1980, ‘eferendum in their home while discussing where they stood by Kevin Langdale So Ht WUls Seer. entraphion wou) oovinsty hoteS ave) lerpen}s ob 3 VIOUS: ‘ndiduallyon the issues of eld bearing and life commitments, that i really ends up coming down t a woters choice betwen the ‘0 of them. No! add sense of humor to the vs valk away with too. Lepage sew of of symbolism {o give the audience a mesmerizing 83 minutes with something to Confections (continued from previous page) ‘What is REAL” asked the Rabbit one day, “Does it rmean having things that buzz inside you and asic-out handle?” “Real is not how you are made” said the Skin Horse. "I's dhing that happens o ou, When acd loves you fr a Tong, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then ou become Rea “Does it hurt?” ask the Rabbit times,” said the Skin Hore, fore was abways truthful, “When you are Rel, you dont mind being hurt. happen allt once? n't happen all at once. I takes a long time That's why it docs’ often happen to people who break easily, or Ihave sharp edges or who have to be carefully Kept. Generally, by the tine Jou are Real most of your hair has been loved off, and op out and you get loose inthe joins and very shabby, all, because once you are Real ou cho don't understand only because it deals with sue of wats real (which scsentally the sue we're dealing with when ‘we wear cortume), bur because it alko deals with the subject of ‘of Halloween (the commercials and advertisement we people to dress up as really scary, ugly dings but underneath all that fakeness and upinss are beautiful el people. If you wear a costume at Halloween you vl most likely be something beautiful ‘or real (princes, animal, toastet) or something ugly oF fictitious (teh, goblin, chainsaw massacrist) and I believe what we choose to befor Halloween is «reflection of the realnes o ctousness, tnd the ugliness or beauty we seein ourselves ethaps we want "Trick-or-Treat, celebrate Hallowen and get dressed up because we wan to cecape from realty, We want tobe fitiious. lis nota coincidence that most costumes are citer fictitious characters fom books, television, moves, and myths taken ftom our many forms of mental escapism, or humanized objects. We can't actually be a toaster, we can be a gromly December 1998 © influx 26053 ‘oversized, non-functional toaster, a surreal toaster, a Sctious toaster, but never a real toaster. But on Halloween we don't want to be real because, asthe Skin Hors tld the Veleteen Rabi, “sometimes, bing veal hurts” and Halloween is our scape from that pain, We get to hang out in groups, we hide ourselves in costumes, eat candy (which for some people i ks taking a deus), and if we'e into it we ge to drink leahol or do drugs these are all forms ofexcape ‘Or maybe we want to Trick-or-Treat because we want ro be children again. We want to fantasize soilly as children are allowed to do (e's play pretend, les play dress up, let rad book, le’s watch cartons... We want to be chldren and pay with toys and our imaginations. We want our small, dexterous agile, light bodies back: Our bodies before these strange things called hormones took over and changed us; our bodies that could be Carried up to bed and ecked i, We want to run and yell and laugh tnd sing nd play and have everything we do be anew and exciting learning experience, instead of the dull, monotonous, repetitivencssof adult if, We want to eat without worrying about ‘ur health, we want to go through the day without worrying if the ‘oven has been turned of rif the electricity il hasbeen pai. We Want someone to look after us and eare for us (because caring for ‘ourselves hat turned out to be such a terre burden). Dare I say ite want to beloved The real question hee isnot if we want to go Trickor- Treating, because we do, We want to eat candy, we watt Bein social group, we want to dress up, we want to escape, and We want todo something cldah We want all of that, The rel questions we shouldbe asking are: Wha are ws saying about oureles when we ‘ress up and go fo socal functions? Who are we and who are we trying to be? In our search for the truth, what can we lear in fantasy? And what can we Iara about ourselves through the simple act of Tick-or Treating or even jst wanting 1 Trick-or-Treat? fe fo. carbons me thing Stl Bicyclists Dismount by Simon Piniel Riding a bicycle in Zurich fs like eating bread, s0 1 bought bike during the fet few day after my arrival in Vancouver as an exchange student at Emily Care. T had been warned by several people that car drivers just don't care about bikes, so T was prepared for the worst {soon experienced that Vancouver and Zurich function ‘by more or less the same hierarchy of walle. First of al, there are solemn pedestrian faling into the rret like Indian cows at the most impossible spots. ‘Then, there are cars taking care of the pedestrians no matter what they might do in the mide of the foad. Then, there are the trucks who never care about anything ‘Then there are those crazy snline skaters who prefer to goin the street and only care about themselves, followed by pigeons, Thedgchogs, snails, and shige who usualy just et run over And ler all hat dere are the bikes, ‘As a bike rider you've got to make your own way ‘through the jungle; you're the outlaw fighting for your own igh beeaute no one ever gives you any. Ifyou ever reach your goal, jump off yu ste! hore, rp off your helmet dripping with sweat, fd screams “Tam a survvoe” Tatready had to wreck somebody's car door that opened ‘up while I pased, but that was in Zurich, No, Vancouver drives, afen't that bad. ‘They try 50 hard to be nice, I belive they have {hee legs and always leave one onthe brake. However, theyre stil car drives. Police are nice to, especialy i'you sir or ma'am thems, believe me ‘But what relly makes a difeence in Vancouver isthe roads! In Zurich you always have the possibility to bypass red lights, to avoid the messin the street and jump on the sidewalk, 0 ros the wildest trafic in the shadow ofa tram, to enjoy aride on your own straight bicyle path tha you don't h bikers or bladers coming the other way or pedest road. Here you have to pull on the brakes cvery Start allover agin. You're supposed to hang in the mide ofthe Crossing and have cars honking a you when you're waiting forthe ‘pote traffic to pass when you want to turn left. You're allowed, 10 g0 15 llometers an house and smile. Riding a bike in Vancouver would be so much more anuactve if there were better roads. So far ts considered an Activity for Sess buffs on weekends; and not an efficent option for everybody to go 10 work or school each day Tf thoughts can move mountains think about it. Ten minutes of mere spiritual concentration a day ie all it takes to grow some comfortable bicycle paths. Just make sure enough people share yous id-a