Radiant City

The sharp and satirical Radiant City both deepens and personalizes the age-old critique that suburbs are soul-crushing, Earth-killing fiascos. We're plunked in to the geography of nowhere, where we meet the sympathetic Ross family. Nick is a sardonic teen who befriends a dog on his street but doesn't know any of his neighbors. His dad is in a community production called Suburb: The Musical, which irks his wife who doesn't like her lifestyle ridiculed. Interspersed are factoids including how the average driver spends the equivalent of 55 working days a year commuting by car, and a Greek chorus of suburban tour guides such as James Howard Kunstler, who puts it bluntly: "This way of living is coming off the menu." The first collaboration between Gary Burns (Kitchen Party), whose wry comedies have made him one of Canada's most celebrated directors, and Jim Brown, a radio journalist for the CBC, Radiant City reflects a fresh fusion of journalism and feature filmmaking. With a gritty soundtrack by Joey Santiago of the Pixies. (PS)