Directed by Anne Marie Fleming, Can I Get A Witness? serves as both a title and a call to action. It’s a nod to Marvin Gaye and the song’s roots. It’s very much about the spiritual concept of witnessing while also asking the question, “Are you seeing this?” While characters serve in the capacity of witnessing each other’s lives before their “voluntary” expiration at 50 years old, they realize that solving all of Earth’s problems won’t solve their own.
Can I Get A Witness? follows Kiah (Keira Jang), a gifted artist who lives at home with her mother Ellie (Sandra Oh). In the not-so-distant future, global poverty will be eradicated, climate change will be a thing of the past, and all species will live in peace. This was made possible by everyone agreeing to end life at 50 years old. Kiah is inserted into the process after she graduates from school. As a gifted artist, she’s selected to be a Documentor and “witness” by drawing End-of-Life (EOL) protocols for the new government. Under the supervision of Daniel (Joel Oulette), Kiah remains unreceptive and begins to question everything around her.
Starting as “A Fable”, the film quickly portrays itself as a world most would yearn for. Ellie has a refrigerator delivered to her home and is quickly treated as a relic; a symbol of years past. This is because avoiding waste is a top priority. Cars, guns, and even social media are ancient history. Once everyone leaves the house, we’re whisked away to the sight of a CGI squirrel calmly eating in the street before making way for oncoming bikers. The streets and sidewalks alike boast happy citizens walking, biking, and skateboarding to get to their destinations.
Kiah is a wreck on her first day and can’t imagine having to be a witness to someone’s death. Under the tutelage of Daniel, she was undeterred in her assessment of forcing such a decision on people as inhumane. The way production went about the process was both humane and easy to process. Even though the film focuses on a heavy topic like death, the process was made in a light, easily digestible manner. Each client is given a box. Once it’s opened it emits a purple smoke that puts them to sleep. That’s it. Kiah’s job is to draw whatever she sees as powerful or poignant.
The Internet and social media were discussed with repugnance and labeled harmful, which is the reason Kiah had to draw clients; photography was bad for the environment. The film envisions a bold, minimalistic future that supposedly solves the world’s problems, and yet, it does this from a single perspective. Anything outside of what has become the status quo is seen as hostile or inept. To end climate change and achieve equality, what would you give up? What would you sacrifice? The central theme revolves around these questions and represents the bulk of discussions amongst the cast.
Can I Get A Witness? gets a 7.5 out of 10. The animations were a nice touch to the film and assisted in emboldening Kia’s artistic prowess. The friendship between Daniel and Kia felt authentic and Keira Jang gave a heartfelt performance. Movies are a thing of the past but the youth have built a humorous affinity for Zoolander. The film saunters through the first act, making every minute feel like 10. Once the story starts gaining traction it begins to feel like you understand its direction. More could’ve been done by diving deeper into EOL and other aspects of this new world but the majority of the film stuck to its theme and not much else.
Can I Get A Witness? premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 6. The screening schedule is below:
Thursday, Sept. 12, Scotiabank Theatre at 9:05 AM (Press & Industry)
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Visit Films