Keep right: Exclusive interview with DVP
Atom Egoyan’s new film Adoration
TheStar.com – entertainment
May 09, 2008
Peter Howell
tom Egoyan’s new film Adoration is still under wraps, awaiting its world
premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, which begins Wednesday.
But the Toronto filmmaker let slip that a certain well-known Hogtown highway
plays a significant role in it. "In this one, it’s resolutely Toronto," he
told me recently. "Not only that, one of the major characters is the Don
Valley Parkway. You’ll see."
My curiosity is revving hot. How could a highway, especially the
traffic-clogged DVP, be considered a "character"?
Is Egoyan just blowing smoke? Is he spinning his wheels?
Then I got to thinking. The DVP has many moods, just like any serious actor.
It can transport us to places we’ve never been, and also take us right back
home. It can slam us into our seats, or drive us into despair. It can
callously dump us in the ditch and leave us stranded.
There are times when the DVP is a thrill ride. Other times, it’s a nightmare
journey.
And how about the look?
It has a face like concrete, but its many wrinkles make it seem softer. And
it can be slippery.
So maybe there’s something to this. In Steve Martin’s L.A. Story, the
electronic traffic signs on the freeway act as a sort of Greek chorus,
commenting on the action and instructing Martin’s character, a lovelorn TV
weatherman.
Could our own DVP be as lively? I went for a spin on the Parkway and bagged
this exclusive interview with Toronto’s newest movie star.
Q. DVP, every Torontonian is wondering how you’ll fare on the international
stage when Adoration premieres at Cannes. Are you nervous?
A. FASTEN SEAT BELTS. THEY SAVE LIVES.
Q. So you’re saying that Adoration is a thriller? Is somebody in jeopardy?
Are your potholes out of control?
A. DVP MOVING SLOWLY TO LAWRENCE.
Q. Yes, Egoyan does like to take his time setting a story up. But what
happens at Lawrence Ave.? Or is it somebody named Lawrence? Or are you
referring to the author D. H. Lawrence? Knowing Egoyan, it’s probably
something really freaky.
A. CONGESTED FROM LAWRENCE TO YORK MILLS.
Q. So you’re saying there are multiple characters in the film, and that the
mid-section gets a little crowded? And what happens at York Mills? Throw me a
bone here, DVP.
A. ROAD WORK AHEAD. LANES NARROWING.
Q. Are you referring to the more intimate filmmaking style Egoyan says he
returned to for Adoration? Was this difficult for him? And how about you?
Is the road to hell really paved with good intentions?
A. SHARE THE ROAD. SIGNAL LANE CHANGES.
Q. I get it. So you’re saying that Egoyan is being more inclusive this time,
but that maybe he’s heading in a bold new direction?
A. HWY 401 EAST EXPRESS AND COLLECTORS MOVING WELL.
Q. That’s generous of you to mention a competing highway and to offer such
fulsome praise. Has the experience making Adoration made you want to do more
movie work?
A. WHAT I REALLY WANT TO DO IS DIRECT … TRAFFIC.
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