THE LEAD/ABDUCTED ON AIR
Canada, 2020, 90 minutes, Colour.
Perrey Reeves, Kim Shaw, Gord Rand, Bruce Dinsmore, Kristin Booth, Marc Bendavid.
Directed by Philippe Gagnon.
The title indicates the ambitions of the central character, a young ambition television journalist. However, the alternate title indicates her plan to promote herself, staging an abduction with the help of a university professor, a wood-be author, having an affair with her. In the picture is his wife, and the daughter of the head of the University – critical of her husband, but standing by him.
When the journalist is found bewildered in the street, her story becomes key for ratings on television until people get used to it and she has to find ways to keep promoting herself. She is frequently taunted by the lead reporter at the station – who then seems to become the victim of a home invasion and disappears.
There is a lot of melodrama, the reporter and her interactions with the professor, her accusation of a co-worker as her abductor and setting up the evidence, her double deals with the professor for whom she had promised the rights to write her life story… Ultimately, she is unmasked – and on television. She is finally seen being interviewed in the police station, getting the right angle for being photographed, very pleased that she is now able to tell her life story
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1. A Canadian thriller? The media and ambition? Staging an abduction? Consequences?
2. The American setting, the city, the television station, the empty warehouse, homes and apartments, the University? The musical score?
3. The title? Sasha and her wanting to be the lead reporter on television?
4. Sasha’s story, her background, her father and his dementia, her visits, playing the video of her as a child and her comparing television? Work at the station? Wanting to be a top reporter? Interactions with the boss? The putdowns from Diane? Diane on air?
5. Sasha and her friendship with Alex, a relationship, using him, their collaboration, relying on him at home, setting him up, his arrest? Her stashing the photos, the blood?
6. The abduction on air, the masked man, her being tied up, in the dark? The revelation that Aidan and she had planned the abduction? His visits, the pills, her escape, found on the road? Telling her story? Hospital? Diane interviewing her hospital bed? Her becoming the top story?
7. The consequences, audience interest in her story, lessening of interest, her wanting to keep it in the headlines, Diane’s reaction, the boss’s reaction? Her wanting to investigate her own story?
8. Aidan, at the University, Sasha as his student, the affair, his relationship with his wife, her being the daughter of the University and, his ambitions to write a novel, the failure of this first book, the reactions of his wife, critical but her standing by him? Confession of his affair to his wife? (And Sasha to visiting the woman getting the signed confession?) His visits to Sasha? His watching on television, obsessed with her, his having the rights to her story? The television interview? His reaction to the arrest of Alex? Visiting her at her home? The dangers? Sasha threatening him?
9. The issue of the rights to the book, Sasha doublecrossing Aidan? Jocelyn following Aidan, confronting Sasha, the information about the rights?
10. Diane and the home invasion, her disappearance? Aidan thinking Sasha had killed her?
11. Sasha, the setup, the gun, confronting Aidan, shooting him? Her plan to shoot Jocelyn? Alex’s being released, her being sent to cover the story? The cues from the boss, Diane reappearing, Sasha unmasked, arrested? Aidan working with Diane?
12. Sasha in prison, wanting the camera for the best position during interrogation, her opportunity to tell her life story?
