Port Washington, NY – Something's happening on the edge of town. There's a desperate housewife in the parking lot, a musical chorus line mowing the lawn ― and a loaded gun in the upstairs closet. Welcome to RADIANT CITY, a critically acclaimed, entertaining and startling new documentary on 21st century suburbanites from Canada's king of surreal comedy Gary Burns (Waydowntown, A Problem with Fear) and journalist Jim Brown. On March 4, KOCH Lorber Films brings the Vancouver International Film Festival Special Jury Prize winner to DVD for home viewers ― wherever they may dwell ― for $26.98 SRP.
THE MOSS FAMILY CALLS IT HOME…
Port Washington, NY – Something's happening on the edge of town. There's a desperate housewife in the parking lot, a musical chorus line mowing the lawn ― and a loaded gun in the upstairs closet. Welcome to RADIANT CITY, a critically acclaimed, entertaining and startling new documentary on 21st century suburbanites from Canada's king of surreal comedy Gary Burns (Waydowntown, A Problem with Fear) and journalist Jim Brown. On March 4, KOCH Lorber Films brings the Vancouver International Film Festival Special Jury Prize winner to DVD for home viewers ― wherever they may dwell ― for $26.98 SRP.
RADIANT CITY is an unapologetic examination into the cookie-cutter life that has become more omnipresent with suburban sprawl. Across North America, the landscape is changing dramatically – blasted clean of distinctive features and overlaid with Potemkin village shopping plazas and Orwellian office parks. In this innovative outing to the ‘burbs, co-directors Gary Burns and Jim Brown venture into territory both familiar and foreign, crafting a vivid account of life in The Late Suburban Age that turns the documentary genre inside-out. Using a cornucopia of cultural references, from Jane Jacobs to “The Sopranos,” the filmmakers create a provocative reflection on why we live the way we do ― from railing against the brutalizing aesthetic of strip malls to building dream kitchens to sitting mindlessly in commuter traffic. Riffing off sitcoms and reality TV, Burns and Brown play fast and loose with a range of cinematic devices to consider what happens when cities grow sick and mutate. Along with cinematographer Patrick McLaughlin, they transform drab suburbia into painted cloudscapes, mesmerizing rivers of traffic and eerie tableaux of dystopia.
The members of the Moss family, residents of the treeless community “Evergreen,” serve as the primary on-camera subjects of RADIANT CITY and act as tour guides through their suburban lifestyles. The children, Nick and Jennifer, lead viewers through the strange and artificial environment of their surroundings. Anne, the matriarch, provides an overview of daily schedules and their “home,” while Evan, Mr. Moss, takes us along for his daily commute. Although the Moss family often conveys satisfaction with their environment, they inadvertently express their worries and concerns about their strange new world, foreshadowing the film’s shocking climax, which the New York Post said, “you won’t see coming.”
Featuring a killer soundtrack comprised of songs performed by Joey Santiago of The Pixies, RADIANT CITY was a 2007 U.S. theatrical release and Official Selection at Vancouver, Buenos Aires and Toronto, where it was named “one of the top ten films of the year.”
About KOCH Lorber Films
Dedicated to providing the best in award-winning, classic and contemporary international cinema, documentary features and cultural programming, KOCH Lorber Films is a market leader for high quality releases to both wide and specialized audiences through theatrical, television and home video distribution. KOCH Lorber Films DVD releases include: the classic films La Dolce Vita, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Tous les Matins du Monde and Un Coeur en Hiver and recent theatrical and festival hits such as Intimacy, The Five Obstructions, Save the Green Planet, The Syrian Bride and Changing Times. Visit KOCH Lorber Films online at www.kochlorberfilms.com.
