This wasn’t a movie either of us was particularly interested in but we felt like getting out and seeing a movie. It was fun to see some of the “old” actors in a movie that didn’t take themselves too seriously.

When the pensions of three retirees are frozen their already limited lifestyles are in serious jeopardy so they decide to rob a bank. How hard can it be? But in spite of all their planning, will they get away with it?

I almost forgot to write a review for this last movie in the Spring Cinematheque series.

Ove has spent all his life with one company but, when he is asked to take some job retraining, he decides he will retire instead. Ove recently lost his wife and, in his visits to her graveside, he has vowed to join her. His numerous attempts at suicide are interrupted by various folks in his eclectic neighbourhood. The story is pretty predictable but enjoyable all the same.

I have the book on order from the library.

Daniel Blake has suffered a major heart attack and he needs monetary assistance until he can get back to work. At sixty-something he is baffled by the system; his doctors say he is unfit to go back to work but the state has said he must be actively seeking work to be eligible for benefits. Daniel meets a young single mum who is also having trouble getting the assistance she needs.

The story is true on so many levels. A system where no one really understands the problems but everyone follows the rules; manual labourers who must apply for benefits online when they’ve never used a computer, and the frustration felt by those who are genuinely in need.

This free movie was part of National Canadian Film Day – who knew there was such a day? The Powell River Digital Film School used it as a fundraiser for their program but I’m afraid they wouldn’t have made much money from the ten people who were in attendance. The director of the movie was in attendance but there was no Q & A after the film; he may have already left.

Adam is the face behind a real-estate mogul in Vancouver; the developer takes old buildings and turns them into housing complexes. Their newest endeavour is meant to take over a community centre but when Adam meets the girl of his dreams, who just happens to work there, things get interesting. Adam is a bit of a womanizer and his recent diagnosis of gonorrhoea puts him in an awkward situation with a number of women.

In my opinion there are far better Canadian films than this.