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Sept. 21, 2007
A spy lurks in the house of love
Saul Rubinek's latest film heroine secretly videotapes her family's
everyday activities.
ELLEN RAINE-SCOTT
Canadian Saul Rubinek's career spans more than 30 years as an actor
and his current feature, Cruel But Necessary, marks his fourth
film as a director. Rubinek received his early training in film
and television as an actor for the CBC, went on to do guest appearances
on Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law and, later, semi-regular
appearances on Frasier. He continues to act in Canadian independent
features.
Cruel But Necessary has been included in the Canadian Images
program at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival. The
film tells the story of an ordinary housewife who discovers evidence
on the family video camera that her husband has been having an affair.
She becomes obsessed with recording everyone in her life with a
hidden camera to help her expose the truth about her family and
her world.
Rubinek will be in Vancouver for screenings of the film. He recently
spoke to the Independent by phone from Los Angeles.
Jewish Independent: What attracted you to the lead character
in the film, Betty Munson?
Saul Rubinek: I really just thought she was a kooky and interesting
character. Wendel [Meldrum, the screenwriter, who also plays Betty
in the film] had brought a series of "Betty" monologues
on video to Elinor [Reid, Rubinek's wife] and I, and we, found Betty
fascinating.... What we were interested in was the idea of a woman
whose identity is being destroyed. We thought, "What if this
woman is videotaping herself, and what if she unintentionally shows
that her real life is in conflict with her philosophy of how she
thinks she lives her life?"
JI: Cruel But Necessary eavesdrops on the modern family
and provides some pretty wry commentary on what we see. How has
your own experience, family life or cultural background shaped this
film?
SR: I see a lot of places to identify with the different
roles in her life – I'm also a dad, a husband and an ex-husband.
Also, the film is about an artist trying to share her life and,
in that sense, I totally understand the character. Betty is documenting
her family's life. I've written a book about my family, called So
Many Miracles, which was about my parents growing up in Poland
during the Holocaust. I also made a documentary by the same name,
which chronicled my parents' reunion with the people who saved their
lives during the Holocaust. So, I know what it's like to videotape
your own family and share their story.
JI: Cruel But Necessary touches on the themes of voyeurism,
technology and the breakdown of the modern family unit. It reminded
me a bit of Atom Egoyan's early work, like Family Viewing.
What were the thematic elements that you wanted to communicate?
SR: Every time I see the movie, the themes change for me
... some people see a film about parents and children, some see
a film about art and life.
JI: What is your goal as a director?
SR: What I'm most interested in is seeing if I could create
something that would make the audience vulnerable and receptive.
It's our job to put the audience in the situation where they're
a little on the edge of their seat, where they're not sure what
to think – to put them in the situation where they're open
to ideas.
JI: In the film, the grandparents discuss the meaning of
the family motto, "Without God, Without Anything." What
was this argument really about, from your perspective?
SR: I refuse to tell you. And I'll tell you why. I really
don't know. Whatever you think it's about, is what it's about.
Cruel But Necessary screens on Thursday, Oct. 11, 7:15 p.m.,
and on Friday, Oct. 12, 12:30 p.m.
For complete information, visit www.viff.org.
Ellen Raine-Scott is a Vancouver writer and filmmaker.
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