Blue

Don McKellar (writer of Roadkill and Highway 61, in which he also appears) turns director, with astounding success (see also Bloody Nose) and stellar casting. David Cronenberg stars as Tom Cramer, a porn-aficionado cum business­man. We meet Tom on a typical day at the car­pet factory; checking out new samples, flirting with the secretary, discussing personal hygiene with an employee, masturbating. This daily routine is punctuated by the flickering images of an old 60s porn film — The Bell Boy and the Bored Houseit'ife — now newly narrated by its aging star.

McKellar's juxtapositions are daring and provocative and the role fits Cronenberg like a glove. His presence brings an appropriate veneer of unease to the entire film — a cryptic portrait of a man whose obsession is isolating him from the real world. Blue is a colour; blue is a feeling; Blue is a gem.