The Vernon Film Society’s next film is the Canadian comedy My Internship in Canada, a satirical look at the peculiarities of Canadian politics.
A member of parliament finds himself thrust suddenly into the spotlight and it’s up to his young Haitian intern (Irdens Exantus) to help the hapless backbencher navigate the pitfalls of Parliament Hill.
A Conservative minority government trying to pass a bill that will enable them to go to war suffers a setback when one of the Tory MPs falls ill, leaving the key vote in the hands of independent MP Steve Guibord (Patrick Huard), a former hockey player whose career came to nothing.
Feverishly courted by the Tories, Guibord is also subjected to a moral tug-of-war at home because his wife wants him to vote yes and his daughter wants him to vote no.
He can’t decide.
Salvation arrives in the form of the Haitian intern who knows considerably more about the Canadian parliamentary system than his boss does.
Not only a witty portrait of wheeling and dealing in Ottawa, Phillippe Falardeau’s gentle satire demonstrates that sometimes it takes a person from another country to explain to us the workings of the system that makes our democracy function.
“The performances are lived-in and the tone is refreshingly light. A genuine crowd-pleaser, no matter what colour the sign on your lawn might be,” said Barry Hertz, with The Globe and Mail.
My Internship in Canada screens Monday, March 14 at the Towne Cinema at the regular times of 5:15 and 7:45 p.m. Tickets are available one week ahead at the Towne box office and the Bean Scene for $7 (cash only).