Earlier this week I was talking about the Prelude Series at the Toronto International Film Festival and promised a refresher on several of the directors. We took a trip back through David Cronenberg's canon -- with a particular emphasis on his psychological pictures. Today I'd like to look at the career of another Canadian cinematic darling - Patricia Rozema.

Rozema's most recent feature Mansfield Park was savaged by the British press for its racial undertones and feminist interpretation of Jane Austen's novel. However it was generally well received and marked a significant departure for Rozema. In Canada the director has distinguished herself as Canada's pre-eminent lesbian director. She's made three distinctive girl likes girl flicks. The fab, I've Heard the Mermaids Singing. The dismal, White Room. And When Night is Falling, the story of Camille -- a highly religious, completely straight (yeah sure) mythology professor, who falls in love with Petra, a gay circus girl. The two meet at a laundromat, when Petra switches the bags of clothes.

Well pretty soon beds are moving, and poor Camille has to figure out who she is. Never mind what she's going to say to the head chaplain at the university.

"We've covered abortion, church and state and drug abuse. Homosexuality. How do you approach the homosexuality problem, Camille?"

And that's the problem with this film. Rozema refuses to really dig into just how difficult it must be for a straight woman to discover she's gay. However, one must give credit where it's due. This is a beautiful movie to watch. Cinematographer Doug Koch must have gone to the Fellini school of light and magic. I felt like I was watching Satryicon meets La Dolce Vita.

The challenge for Rozema is to learn how to write as seamlessly as she directs. Scuttlebutt has it that Rozema's a stickler for writing and adapting all of her own projects. She took great liberties with Austen and has taken on Samuel Beckett's Happy Days. It should be interesting to see what she does with a play that legally can't be tampered with. (As you know Beckett's will strictly states that no one can mess with HIS language.) Happy Days will be premiering at the festival and This Might Be Good (starring Sarah Polley and Don McKellar) is part of the Preludes. Let's hope they're both great! Got an opinion on Rozema? Any thoughts about Canadian cinema in general?