This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, November/December 2006
Label: Odeon Films
How far are you willing to go for what you believe in? Monkey Warfare is an examination of modern urban life and historical urban-gorilla actions. Dan (Don McKellar) and Linda (Tracy Wright) are a 30-something couple living in downtown Toronto, entranced with weed, politics, bicycles and other people’s garbage. After the arrest of their dealer, Dan happens to meet Susan (Nadia Litz), an attractive drug dealer in her early 20s.
Writer and director Reginald Harkema seems to be tackling a lot of subject matters in this film. There’s a huge bevy of topics: relationships, drug use, social activism, music, history, eBay. Accented with terrific performances by the cast, McKellar and Wright in particular have worked together numerous times and for the first time here they carry a film together with great ease.
Harkema honed his skills in the film industry as an editor, having worked on the acclaimed Hard Core Logo and McKellar’s directorial debut, Last Night . McKellar has long been an icon in Canadian film having written too many films to list including The Red Violin ; recently won a Tony award for best book of a musical for The Drowsy Chaperone ; directed two features and wrote and starred in the CBC series Twitch City .
Accenting the film is a fantastic soundtrack, featuring the likes of Leonard Cohen, The Pugs, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and many more great musicians. Filled with songs of revolution and anarchy, Dan seems to rely on his turntable as much as his marijuana. The soundtrack perfectly echoes the film a task rarely achieved, particularly by independent Canadian films.
The biggest limitation of this film may be its very small audience, seemingly socially-active left-wing Torontonians. Monkey Warfare may not translate elsewhere in the country or world; the film is very much entrenched in Toronto culture and this seems to limit its general appeal.
As for me, when the credits rolled, I wanted more.