Over the weekend, I attended a screening of Young People F---ing, followed by a panel discussion including the film's director, Martin Gero, screenwriter and actor, Aaron Abrams, and Dan Lyon from Telefilm Canada.
Before the discussion started, I nestled in my seat and got ready to watch one of the most controversial films that helped ignite the Bill C-10 fiasco. By the middle of the movie, I realized I had forgotten to search for the controversy in the film. Sure, it was raw and liberal, but controversial? One, big, fat, "no".
The film was extremely well-written, well-casted, and as one audience member stated, "did not have that cliched "Canadian feel" to it. I think she was trying to say it shot well.
Anyway, I was genuinely impressed by the film--not because the Conservative Party made such a huge deal over its "controversy" but because I enjoyed all the characters and their respective situations. While some people may not relate to every one of those situations, the material in this film is highly-relatable, from the friends who are obviously in love with each other to the endless mind-games women and men tend to play with each other.
The panel discussion mostly focused on the edgy title and Bill C-10, some funny Conservative Party insults (presented in a very professional manner, of course), and a little chat about the Canadian film industry. The major concern with the Canadian film industry and Bill C-10, obviously, is that the Bill will only discourage many Canadian filmmakers from making those awesome, "edgy", Canadian movies in order to receive government funding. The result? A loss in what Canadians do best--embrace art, diversity, and originality, and therefore, a loss in films that emphasize those artistic values.
Who knows exactly what will happen to the Canadian film industry and aspiring Canadian filmmakers, but I'm banking on the crazy-passionate ones that say, "F--k you, Conservatives. I'll find a way to shoot the sequel to "Young People F---ing. I don't need any stinkin' government funding for "McVety Likes it F---ing Rough".