The Princess Diaries
The Dark Knight
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
These are the four movies I’ve seen at Highlands Cinema in Kinmount, Ontario. Four completely different movies with a ubiquitous moviegoing experience; provided by the theatre, its staff, and owner Keith Stata. It’s only fair to present my bias before reviewing The Movie Man, Matt Finlin’s documentary about Stata’s legacy and the history of his DIY multiplex. Located in the woods, Highlands Cinema is a Canadian treasure; wall-to-wall with movie memorabilia, delicious popcorn, and special theatres. But, despite being possibly influenced by Jay Cheel’s How to Build a Time Machine, is there enough material for Finlin to make a feature-length project? The answer: absolutely!
Whether you’re aware of Highlands Cinema before the film starts or not, Finlin takes the audience on quite the ride with The Movie Man. Using a somewhat staggered timeline, the film affirms the current state of the attraction before transporting viewers to a time predating the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even before Finlin and Stata are forced to think on the fly in terms of a direction for the film, The Movie Man provides a concise briefing on Stata’s upbringing from the owner himself, including how he carved out this self-made career trajectory. The film also assigns Stata as an ambassador for Kinmount, asking him to unpack and educate on the town’s history. A seemingly daunting task for the codger until we find out why he’s the perfect representative.
From there, we’re taken on an extended tour of Highlands Cinema. While the film certainly works as promotion, Finlin’s film isn’t an advertisement or a puff piece. The interviewed staff are honest albeit appreciative when reflecting on working at the theatre/museum, and Stata’s efforts to keep customers happy are not sugarcoated. This also includes his methods to keep woodland animals at bay, as well as how he cares for oodles of adopted cats that occupy the property.
Finlin presents Stata’s eccentric qualities, along with his dry sense of humour and his occasional irritation towards technology, in an endearing fashion that makes us smile. Keith is proud, but very humble about the theatre’s achievements as we see during a wandering sequence over the credits. But our feelings shift to empathy as he struggles to think of a plan when global lockdowns take effect. The film does a good job proposing the ripple effects of delays that take tolls on small businesses. In the case of Highlands Cinema, even placing property duties on a temporary back burner opens a can of worms for the seasons that follow. Stata sardonically jokes about death but as his cinemas fill with storage and mould, those comments taper off because he’s genuinely uncertain about the future. Knowing that The Movie Man is optimistically bookended doesn’t take away our worries towards this cottage country staple.
Documentarian Morgan White made a fantastic documentary called The Rep, which left viewers saddened about the future of independent cinemas but hopeful for the next chapter in moviegoing. The Movie Man works as a diametrical opposite that’s just as great. While Finlin’s documentary shows audiences the hardships of such a personal undertaking, the film reassures that there’s still a need for a memorable moviegoing escape.
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