The history of Canadian cinema is just as bright as of their American neighbors, but for some reason it doesn’t get as much hype as it deserves. Thefirst-ever feature filmEvangeline, produced by a Canadian company, dates back to 1913 when it gained both critical and a commercial success. It has stayed true with many other Canadian movies throughout the years, but you rarely see them get mentioned in the ‘best movies’ list.
PerThe Varsity, Canadian cinema is largely overshadowed by American cinema, specifically Hollywood movies. In a nutshell, this has led to a systemic lack of support in developing English-Canadian talent on their own soil. In fact, it’s no secret that many Canadian artists migrate to Hollywood or New York in search of better opportunity — just look at the amount ofCanadian actors in the MCU! We’re here to remind you that there are indeed high-quality Canadian productions, specifically from the 2010s, that are worth your time. Here is our list of the eight best.
8Sleeping Giant (2015)
Named after the Sleeping Giant cliffs in Thunder Bay, Ontario,Sleeping Giantis a Canadian drama film. It was developed from a short film that was already winning major critical awards. The plot follows three teenage boys who form an unbreakable friendship during summer holidays. The friendship is driven by raging hormones accompanied by reckless behavior, e.g. jumping off of high cliffs. The director Andrew Cividino beautifully captured the fragile yet tight bond of male friendships in such a perilous chapter of everyone’s lives. It holds a certain sense of nostalgia that captures everyone’s hearts.
Related:Best Coming-of-Age Films of the 2010s, Ranked
7Mommy (2014)
Canada seems to excel at making dramatic movies as we have yet another one in our list. This time, it’s the 2014 movie calledMommy,which closely follows a mother-son relationship. The mother is struggling to keep his son with anger issues tamed to keep him from getting institutionalized, until a neighbor shows up and helps her. It can’t be denied there’s a certain gay subtext between the two women as they take care of the son Steve together. The movie depicts how loving people doesn’t actually save them. Thedirector Xavier Dolanalso decided to unconventionally shoot the movie in a 1:1 aspect ratio, which is an interesting choice for a movie.
6Maudie (2016)
Maudieis a biographical drama movie about the life of the Nova Scotia folk artist Maud Lewis,played by Sally Hawkins. It follows her life as a person who struggled with rheumatoid arthritis as she worked as a housekeeper for Everett Lewis, played by Ethan Hawke. After the release and popularity of the movie, there was an uprise in the interest in Lewis' art. Hawkins proved herself as an astonishing actress by the way she inhabited Lewis' character. Hawke also played his part as the despicable man perfectly. The movie as well as the paintings will definitely make you shed a tear.
5FUBAR 2 (2010)
TheFUBARfranchise has become a cult classic ever since its release back in the 2002. The first movie follows two lifelong best friends Terry and Dean, head-bangers who constantly drink beer during their daily lives and adventures. The second movie,FUBAR: Balls to the Wall, released eight years later and follows the two as they head across the country to make a gold mine from the oil industry. What makes this movie special is the improvised lines by the two main actors: David Lawrence and Paul Spence.
4Incendies (2010)
Incendiesis a drama filmdirected by Denis Villeneuve, telling the story of twins who travel to the Middle East to uncover their mother’s secrets and fulfill her last wishes. Even though the country is not mentioned, it is presumed the story takes place in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War. The movie also got nominated in the category of Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Although Villeneuve’s filmography is flawless as it is,Incendieshighlights his best qualities to the point that directors in Hollywood may as well be very jealous of his abilities.
Related:Here Are Some of the Best Canadian Movies of All Time
3Stories We Tell (2012)
Stories We Tellis a documentary film directed and written by Sarah Polley, who decided to investigate and reveal her family’s secrets. It focuses on Polley’s parents and how she’s the result of an extramarital affair, as well as other historic events in her family’s lives. You may as well look at the story as the real-life version of theMamma Mia!movies. The movie gained a lot of critical acclaim, from being named as the top 10 Canadian movies of all times by the Toronto Film Festival, as well as being included in the list of the greatest movies of all time compiled by BBC.
2Rebelle (2012)
RebelleorWar Witchis a dramatic war movie, centered around 14-year-old girl Komona, played by Rachel Mwanza, who has a life growing inside her while being forced to become a civil war soldier. The film is told by Komona herself as she narrates the story of her unfortunate life to her unborn child. Komona is also believed to be a witch in the community. The filming is made in a tightly gripping way that it’s hard to forget it’s not a documentary. It depicts the sad reality of thousands of children across the world who are forced to fight wars for adults.
1Monsieur Lazhar (2011)
Last but not least,Monsieur Lazharis a French-language drama film, which tells the story of an Algerian substitute teacher who helps his new students deal with grief after their previous teacher committed suicide. While navigating the students through this difficult time, Lazhar also has to face his own problems and losses from his past. The movie is safe to watch; despite dealing with suicide, there are no triggering scenes to be aware of. Instead, it focuses on the heartwarming relationship between the teacher and the students, as well as the theme of common Algerian immigration to Montréal and the process of adapting they go through.
