Below the Line

Susan Patrick is a librarian at Ryerson University in Toronto.

This novel consists of vignettes that cover six weeks in the production
of an American film being shot in Toronto. It’s the film set from
hell, awash in hypocrisy, disillusionment, backbiting, and transient
relationships. Interspersed with the story are excerpts from the
screenplay of the crime drama being filmed (call sheets, deal memos,
public notices of filming, camera reports, etc.). The large cast of
characters (the location manager, the transport captain, the set
dressers, the local talent, and many more) makes it difficult for the
reader to remember who is who, or to care a lot about them.

The authors have set up a series of oppositions: “art” versus
commerce, Americans versus Canadians, stars and big shots versus crew
members. McFetridge and Albert, who have worked in various positions on
both American and Canadian feature films shot in Toronto, display what
seems to be an intimate knowledge of the Toronto film scene. It is hard,
though, for an outsider to know whether Below the Line is a satire or a
slice of (albeit over-the-top) life. In either case, the novel is both
informative and entertaining.