Pardon my cautiousness with this review. I’m just trying not to sound like a hypocrite.

In my recent Daughter of the Sun review, I admitted to realizing the detrimental impact of grouping Canadian movies together.  Yet all I can think of when discussing With Love and a Major Organ is how Canadian movies that have either sardonic or fantastical pretences tend to exaggerate for the sake of an amusing and unique identity.  With Love and a Major Organ, an obvious societal satire directed by Kim Albright and written by Julia Lederer, feeds into this theory but, luckily, corrects its narrative.

Just about everyone in this story is self-involved and will do nearly anything to avoid the most innocuous confrontation – everyone except Anabel (Anna Maguire).  Anabel, an artist-type who loves conversation, finds herself discouraged by the behaviour of others, especially when she can’t find someone to decompress with.  People who have felt similar voluntarily, and literally, reach into themselves and pull out their heart in order to numb themselves.  Anabel is finally pushed to that point after some bigger disappointments, including a failed relationship with deadpan acquaintance George (Hamza Haq of the recently released The Queen of My Dreams).  In a bizarre last resort, Anabel sends her heart to George (which is portrayed as a personalized household item, like others seen in the film) who then protects it by depositing it in his chest.

Maguire and Haq are too much to handle with their initial personalities.  Anabel is overwhelmingly cloying with her quirkiness, and a little of George’s lacking social skills go a long way.  When the personalities are, essentially, swapped due to the exchange, With Love and a Major Organ finds its rightful oddball charm.  The film is wittier, the performances are more sincere, and the character studies are more enriching.  The satirical points are still heavily emphasized, but at least the movie finds a frequency that allows the filmmaking to maintain its stylistic consistency while reaching outside its own element to address a poignant message about being human.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie