Can I Get a Witness is a dystopian environmental fable set in a near-future world where society has collectively agreed that everyone must end their life at age 50 to combat climate change and overpopulation.
Ellie, played wonderfully by Sandra Oh, is quickly approaching her 50th year. The film follows her teenage daughter Kiah, a young “documenter” tasked with using her artistic gifts to witness and record personal dying ceremonies. Struggling with the emotional toll of her new duties, Kiah’s more experienced co-worker, Daniel, helps her understand the purpose of their work with bureaucratic detachment.
Blending live-action and animation to explore its complex themes with a unique visual style and poignant storytelling, the film examines themes of environmental responsibility, personal agency and generational tensions.
Filmed in and around Powell River, BC, Can I Get a Witness is a thought-provoking film with a sparse and pared-back narrative that allows us to slowly learn, through the events in the film, what the world in this story is like and the role the characters play in it.
Can I Get a Witness plays at the Salmar Classic Theatre at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 26. Tickets are available at the door for $8 (cash only).
