''Roadkill'' is a 1989 Canadian film directed by Bruce McDonald. In a review of the film's soundtrack album, the website

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

calls the film "an increasingly weird mix of ''

Heart of Darkness ''Heart of Darkness'' (1899) is a novella by Polish-English novelist Joseph Conrad in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells his listeners the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgian company in the African interior. The novel ...

'' and '' The Wizard of Oz''".

Background

The film was inspired by the

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

rock band A Neon Rome. McDonald's original idea was to make a

concert film A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...

following that band on tour; however, the band's lead singer, Neal Arbik, became disillusioned with the demands of touring to promote the band's debut album. His behaviour became increasingly erratic and rebellious over the course of the tour, and he ultimately quit the music industry before the film — or the band's second album — could be made. Instead, the film became a fictionalized portrayal of A Neon Rome, depicting a band on the verge of collapsing in a similar manner.

Synopsis

The film stars

Valerie Buhagiar Valerie Buhagiar (born May 12, 1964) is a Maltese-Canadian actress, film director and television host. She studied acting at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario, graduating in 1986. Her debut as a filmmaker was ''The Passion of Rita Camill ...

as Ramona, an intern at a Toronto record label who is sent to Sudbury by promoter Roy Seth (Gerry Quigley) to track down the label's star band, Children of Paradise, after they disappear on tour. Because she doesn't know how to drive, however, she takes a

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

driven by Buddy (Larry Hudson) for the entire 400-km route. Once in Sudbury, she finds the band almost immediately, but then loses them again and subsequently tracks them all across

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Provi ...

. On her way, she encounters a variety of odd characters — including an indie film director named Bruce Shack ( McDonald himself), who documents

roadkill Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by drivers of motor vehicles on highways. Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) have increasingly been the topic of academic research to understand the causes, and how it can be mi ...

on the highway, and an aspiring serial killer named Russell (

Don McKellar Don McKellar (born August 17, 1963) is a Canadian actor, writer, playwright, and filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. He is known for directing and writing the ...

), who has studied the profession thoroughly but just does not know where to start. Ramona finally locates the band in

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

, setting the stage for the film's climax.

Cameo appearances

Music is a large part of the film, and there are cameos by musicians

Nash the Slash James Jeffrey "Jeff" Plewman (March 26, 1948 – May 10, 2014), better known by his stage name Nash the Slash, was a Canadian musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he was known primarily for playing the electric violin and mandolin, as well as the h ...

performing onstage, Leslie Spit Treeo busking on a stretch of land, and

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...

appearing as himself. Shaun Bowring of Teknakuller Raincoats, who appear on the soundtrack, also appears in the film as Mathew, the lead singer of Children of Paradise. Ramona's parents are played by Valerie's own parents, Nazareno and Giovanna Buhagiar. The bar patron who picks the pocket of the Apocalypse Club Manager after he gets shot is played by the film's producer,

Colin Brunton Colin Brunton (born 1955) is a Canadian Film producer, producer and Film director, director. Brunton was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After creating the short films ''The Last Pogo'' (1978), ''A Trip Around Lake Ontario'' (1988) and ''The M ...

Soundtrack album

The film's soundtrack album includes a mix of songs — mostly by Canadian rock artists, but also including a track by

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

— and snippets of dialogue from the film. # "White Lines" I.T. # "Hinterland" (0:50) # "Instant Death" (2:58) # "Mr. Shack Explains" (0:06) # Leslie Spit Treeo, "The Sound" (2:37) # "Ramona on the Road" (0:23) #

Graeme Kirkland Graeme Kirkland is a Canadian record producer, composer, musician, and performance artist active during the late 1980s and 1990s. Musical career At age 15, while too young to be formally enrolled, Kirkland studied music in advanced classes at Yor ...

and the Wolves (feat.

Julie Masi Julie Ann Masi is a Canadian musician, principally known as a percussionist and vocalist with The Parachute Club. She was also a co-writer of several of the band's songs. She is notable as being part of a female-driven movement mixing music and pol ...

), "Street People" (4:51) # "Spiritual Quest" (0:09) # Suffer Machine, "Nostradamus" (2:44) #

The Ugly Ducklings The Ugly Ducklings were a Canadian five-piece garage rock group based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, most notable during the mid-1960s. They released six singles in 1966 and 1967 on the Yorktown and Yorkville labels, and one album, ''Somewhere ...

, "She Ain't No Use to Me" (3:14) # "Russell the Serial Killer" (0:30) #

Handsome Ned Handsome Ned was the stage name of Robin David Masyk (June 4, 1957 – January 10, 1987), a Canadian country singer and songwriter."Singer dies of heroin overdose". ''Toronto Star'', January 12, 1987. Although he only released a small number of si ...

and the Sidewinders, "Put the Blame on Me" (3:05) # Steve Munro, "The Weenie Boy Song" (0:40) # Ten Seconds Over Tokyo, "Burning Rain" (3:53) # "Thangst for the Angst/Buddy and Biff" (1:02) #

The Paupers The Paupers were a Canadian psychedelic rock band from Toronto, Ontario, who recorded between 1965 and 1968. They released two albums for Verve Forecast Records and appeared at the Monterey International Pop Festival. History Origins The g ...

, "Magic People" (2:39) # "Luke" (0:40) # Teknakuller Raincoats, "Dancing Cadavers" (2:56) # "The Driving Lessons" (0:29) #

Rita Chiarelli Rita Chiarelli is a Canadian blues singer. She was called "the goddess of Canadian blues" by Shelagh Rogers at CBC Radio One. Biography Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Chiarelli began performing in Ronnie Hawkins' band in the early 1980s. ...

, "Have You Seen My Shoes?" (3:34) #

The Razorbacks The Razorbacks were a Canadian rockabilly band that attained moderate national popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band was known for its lively stage show,Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, "Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)" (3:28) # "Ramona Gets Ready" (0:19) #

, "Roadkill" (2:35) # "Weenie Boy Reprise" (0:22)

Awards

''Roadkill'' won the Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at the 1989

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

. Don McKellar was also nominated for two 1990

Genie Awards The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

, for Best Supporting Actor, and Best Original Screenplay.

References

External links

* {{TIFF Best Canadian Film 1989 films English-language Canadian films 1980s English-language films Canadian comedy road movies 1980s road movies Greater Sudbury in fiction Films directed by Bruce McDonald Films set in Northern Ontario Films shot in Greater Sudbury 1980s Canadian films