One Week (2008)

One Week (2008)

Interesting film. Once again I have to apologize to any American readers out there as this film is distinctly and proudly Canadian. It chronicles the "road-trip" journey our protagonist Ben Tyler (Joshua Jackson) takes across the country ala Jack Kerouac but with different motivating factors. Ben is disillusioned late-twenties aged teacher who is about to get married. But then Ben gets the news, quite literally, of his lifetime and finds out he is dying from a Stage 4 cancer that is in his blood and liver. The story is not so much about him dying as him exploring what it is to live and find contentment with life. Something he took for granted up until the news.

Joshua Jackson, who I will freely admit I am a fan of, is excellent here. He has the patience to not wear every emotion on his sleeve and can handle nuance quite well. It is essentially for the most part, a solo film, so that's a lot of weight on his shoulders as it can make or break the film. Now I've enjoyed most everything he's done from Mighty Ducks to the supremely excellent Fringe sci-fi series that I would encourage everyone to watch. Heck, at work I even saw him in person not too long ago as he was filming scenes for Fringe downtown. I never watched Dawson's Creek so I can't comment on that, but as he only a couple of years older than me, I can admit I envy his career and wish him all the best as a Canadian actor who isn't a comedian.

In One Week, he creates a very believable character, who runs the gamut of emotion as he tries to find that proverbial epiphany about life and death that should be obvious to him. Everything in his life is questioned from love, work, pastimes, to even something as simple as singing. At times it is wonderful, tragic or even both at the same time, as we become his invisible companion on this heart wrenching journey.

The good: There are lots of things to enjoy about this film. It's use of narration which can be frustrating in films sometimes, has a similar effect to the wonderful series Pushing Daisies but in delicate doses so as not to be annoying. Everything Canadian in the film is also enjoyable. We Canadians are a proud bunch, we don't often show it quite so overtly as our neighbours to the south, but seeing films like this it is no wonder that we are the biggest little village on the planet. Joshua Jackson also shows off some decent acting chops in this film, with a complex character that is both empathetic and yet frustrating just like real people are. I never feel the Hollywood effect (as we are entering into Oscar bait season with most cinematic releases). The music was fantastic as well. The ending of the film was perfect.

The bad: The film's pacing can be a little dragging at points but thankfully even if you are drifting with the story the scenery is always pretty to look at. I also have issues with how quickly he did one act in the film that I don't condone. I get why it happened, and it is even arguably foreshadowed from Saskatchewan onward, but that doesn't entirely excuse it in my books.

Final Thoughts: To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. 


Add to the vault? I am definitely mulling it over. It's not repeat viewing in the sense of a movie you can grab and it will never fail to entertain. But I can see this being a comfort movie when life or whatnot gets to you and you need a little reminder on what's important. 


So come on folks, buy a motorbike and join the ride. Here's the trailer for One Week: