Wikipedia

The Woman of Ahhs: A Self-Portrait by Victoria Fleming

The Woman of Ahhs: A Self-Portrait by Victoria Fleming – also known as The Woman of Ahhs – is a 2008 Canadian dramatic comedy film directed by B. P. Paquette[1] and starring Darryl Hunter, Holly O'Brien, and Stephanie Dixon.[2] Set predominantly in Montreal, the film is a parody of The Wizard of Oz,[3] and contains performances of original songs, including "Not Bad (Not Bad at All)" by legendary bluesman Mel Brown (guitarist), wherein the lyrics comment upon and propel the narrative, as do a triad of contemporary dance performances by celebrated Cirque du Soleil choreographer Debra Brown. The Woman of Ahhs is the second panel in Paquette's triptych on "the psychology of romantic love," preceded by A Year in the Death of Jack Richards (2004), and followed by The Anonymous Rudy S. (2019).

The Woman of Ahhs: A Self-Portrait by Victoria Fleming
Directed byB. P. Paquette
Written byB. P. Paquette
Produced byB. P. Paquette
StarringDarryl Hunter
Holly O-Brien
Stephanie Dixon
CinematographyIvan Gekoff
with Etienne Boilard
Giulia Frati
Alain Julfayan
J.R. Tellaj
Edited byAndrew David
Music byAndrew David
Production
company
Ourson Films
Distributed byOurson Films
Release date
Running time
125 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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A struggling musician in Toronto, Jude Garland, 33, has developed feelings for a beautiful young woman whom he has never met, but only observed via the Internet. Disheartened, Jude is encouraged to track her down by his friend Victoria Fleming, a sly documentary filmmaker whose ulterior motives are only gradually revealed as the film progresses. His quest eventually takes him to Montreal where his friend Billy (who also has ulterior motives) introduces him to Raymonde, Jacklyn and Bertie, three musicians (who also have ulterior motives) with whom he will have three conversations about romantic love. Although clues abound that the beautiful young woman from the Internet is within his reach, Jude's frustration mounts as he discovers that his reality is anything but what it seems.[4]

Production

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Montreal-born lead actor Darryl Hunter had to gain and lose 30 pounds during the course of the shoot. "It's a really difficult performance because it goes from being very sombre and dramatic [...] to charming and comedic," according to director B. P. Paquette. Hunter concurs, "It really does the extremes and everything in between. And obviously, as an actor, it's a ball you get to show it all."[5]

Paquette and Hunter met more than a decade prior to the film's release at film school at Concordia University. Hunter had a role in Paquette's third student feature Raining Angels and his first professional film A Year in the Death of Jack Richards, which picked up numerous prizes at festivals around the globe when it was released in 2004.[5]

Interpretations and allusions

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The Woman of Ahhs has been described as "a weirdly insightful film about romantic love and the nature of media and consciousness itself, a kind of mockumentary with the added complication that the documentarian on-screen is not the director."[4] Helen Faradji, film critic, and editor-in-chief of 24 images, wrote that The Woman of Ahhs is "mysterious and bizarre [...] Mixing reality, documentary and fiction but also having fun scrambling all reference points to time, the film takes as its starting point the classic The Wizard of Oz, and then layers in stylistic effects, mirror-within-mirror constructions and fantastical sequences to better puzzle us while we wander through this loveably bizarre dream world."

Festival recognition

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Premiering at Festival du Nouveau Cinéma where it was nominated for the Grand Prix Focus, The Woman of Ahhs was an official selection at numerous film festivals around the world, including Cinefest, the Sofia International Film Festival in Bulgaria, ÉCU The European Independent Film Festival in Paris, France, where it was presented at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Mexico International Film Festival where Paquette received the Bronze Palm Award.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

Theatrical release

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In 2009, the film had a limited theatrical release in Canada .

Awards and nominations

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References

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  1. ^ "The Woman of Ahhs". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Darryl Hunter The Woman of Ahhs". World News. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  3. ^ Orenstein, Hannah (18 July 2013). "'The Wizard of Ahhhs' Puts an A Cappella Spin on the Classic Film [VIDEO]". Mashable. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b 13 SOFIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Archived 15 January 2013 at archive.today. Cinema.bg. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Print Article". thesudburystar.com.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ "The Woman of Ahhs - IMDb". Retrieved 14 November 2019 – via imdb.com.
  7. ^ "Sudbury Lifestyle News - Cinéfest to feature Sudbury filmmakers' work". Northernlife.ca. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  8. ^ "Cinefest offers fans the world this year | Local | News". Sudbury Star. 11 August 2009. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  9. ^ "2008 Festival Nouveau Cinema RATINGS@Arts & Opinion". www.artsandopinion.com. 20 July 2012. Archived from the original on 14 February 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "Sudbury - Local News - Sudbury News" (PDF). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Film Programme : ÉCU The European Independent Film Festival". www.ecufilmfestival.com. 31 July 2012. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ Archived copy Archived 13 May 2004 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Archived copy Archived 10 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
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