Calendar (film)
Encyclopedia
Calendar is a 1993 drama film
directed by Atom Egoyan
.
to take pictures of churches for a calendar. He slowly begins to realise that his wife, an Armenian translator, is falling in love with their driver and unofficial guide, Ashot. They grow more and more distant from each other and finally separate. Later, at his home in Toronto
, he uses an escort agency
to invite a number of women to dinner, finally settling on the one who looks and sounds most like his wife.
, and by the photographer's answering machine.
for a church); his wife and driver speak to him while looking directly at the camera. The scenes were shot with a video camera.
and was nominated for Best Achievement in Direction and Best Screenplay at the 1993 Genie Awards. Stephen Holden
of the New York Times said of the movie,
However, not all reviews were positive. Rita Kempley of the Washington Post said, "[Egoyan's] approach remains far too cerebral to evoke more than intellectual interest".
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
.
Plot
A photographer is sent to ArmeniaArmenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
to take pictures of churches for a calendar. He slowly begins to realise that his wife, an Armenian translator, is falling in love with their driver and unofficial guide, Ashot. They grow more and more distant from each other and finally separate. Later, at his home in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, he uses an escort agency
Escort agency
Escort agencies are companies that provide escorts for the agency's clients. The agency typically arranges a meeting between one of its escorts and the client at the customer's house or hotel room , or at the escort's residence . Some agencies also provide escorts for longer durations, who may stay...
to invite a number of women to dinner, finally settling on the one who looks and sounds most like his wife.
Style
The film is narrated by the photographer. Interactions between the photographer, his wife, and their driver were largely improvised.Locations
The story is told almost entirely from only three locations: In Armenia, at the photographer's dining room in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and by the photographer's answering machine.
Armenia
Every scene in Armenia is viewed from behind a camera as the photographer prepares to take pictures of the churches (including a moment where the photographer and his wife mistake the pagan temple of GarniGarni
Garni is a village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia, situated approximately 28 km southeast from Yerevan.- History :...
for a church); his wife and driver speak to him while looking directly at the camera. The scenes were shot with a video camera.
Dining room
The scenes in the dining room feature the photographer having dinner with women from the escort agency. Each date follows almost exactly the same pattern: The photographer and his date converse briefly, the photographer pours the wine, and the date excuses herself to use the telephone in the next room while the photographer listens. It is revealed on the last date that this pattern was set up prior to each date, and that this is his way of finding a woman who sounds like his wife, although his motives for doing so are left ambiguous.Answering machine
The photographer's answering machine sits beside the Armenian calendar, which marks the passage of time throughout the movie. We learn of the state of his marriage through the messages left by his estranged wife.Critical reception
Despite its limited release, Calendar received mostly positive reactions. It has a 100 percent rating at Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
and was nominated for Best Achievement in Direction and Best Screenplay at the 1993 Genie Awards. Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden is an American writer, music critic, film critic, and poet.Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963...
of the New York Times said of the movie,
However, not all reviews were positive. Rita Kempley of the Washington Post said, "[Egoyan's] approach remains far too cerebral to evoke more than intellectual interest".