Mehta and the Manitoban

Deepa Mehta is one of Canada's most interesting and acclaimed filmmakers. The Toronto-based director is probably best known for her last film, Water, which was nominated for a 2006 Academy Award in the category of Best Foreign Film. The Manitoban recently caught up with Mehta to briefly discuss her newest film, Heaven on Earth, the Canadian film industry, and her place within it.

The Manitoban: Maybe the most striking visual trope in Heaven and Earth for me, being from the prairies, was Canada as this huge barren landscape. Is the experience of the film's lead character, who has trouble negotiating all this space, a typical immigrant experience?

Deepa Mehta: Well, yes, she's a young immigrant woman who comes here to get married. I think if you come here with a family it is, perhaps, a little bit easier. But to come here and have no social support or any network, on top of everything we have to endure anyway. You know, the cold for six months. Being inside for so long. You go to work, then you come home, and there's nothing out there. No reality. It is very difficult.

M.: I thought it was interesting that the Indo-Canadian family in the film finds space, like you say, “in house.” It’s a way of surviving, but it also hides problems, doesn't it?

D.M.: Yes, it happens in all immigrant societies when they come here. Every wave wants to be accepted, and rightfully so, by the mainstream. You have to fit into the mosaic perfectly, because that is what is expected of you. So you put up a facade. You don't have to, but you end up generally masking things that reflect badly on the community. So abuse doesn't get talked about. Mental health issues don't get talked about. Unemployment doesn't get talked about.

M.: There's been some controversy in the past concerning how your films represent Indian tradition. Do you see yourself honouring, subverting, or re-contextualizing those traditions?

D.M.: One should always question tradition. Sometimes that questioning may lead you to reaffirm tradition but traditions have a different impact at different times. What might have been perfect 100 years ago might not be perfect now.

M.: What do you mean?

D.M.: Well I'm in an airport in New York right now. I was here when the presidential election happened. And what worked for America 100 years ago doesn't work now. It’s not specifically about Indian tradition. Times change, so you question them. It’s important. You can't take them at face value.

M.: Most readers of the Manitoban, that is, young Canadians, are a demographic that doesn't generally pay attention to Canadian film. What value do you think Canadian film has for them?

D.M.: Well, our films reflect us as people. But you can't force people to pay attention to Canadian films. I think you have to wonder why young people don't pay attention. That’s the point, right? All of us need to be represented. Hollywood films might entertain them or make them feel a certain way, but the way Canadian films make them feel is Canadian. And what is Canadian? And that's very important.

M.: Do you feel you articulate a unique perspective in Canadian film?

D.M.: No, I don't really think like that. I mean my perspective is my perspective. And it’s an Indo-Canadian perspective. I feel comfortable having one foot in one continent and the other one in another. But it’s the same with many Canadians because many of us do happen to come from somewhere else.

Heaven on Earth opens in Winnipeg Nov. 21.