One Week

I have to admit that I had more than a passing fascination for The Creek (that's Dawson's Creek, for the uninitiated) so you can imagine my glee when I managed to combine several of my passions -- mortality, the geography of Canada and Pacey -- into one rather entertaining and emotional afternoon.

The film poses the question: what would you do if you only had one week to live?

Joshua Jackson (aka Pacey) plays Ben Tyler. After receiving a stage four cancer diagnosis, he hops on a vintage motorcycle and starts driving cross-country.

It doesn't take him long to figure out that he's been settling -- for a job he's not entirely happy with, for a women he never really loved, and for his low expectations of himself.

So, instead of concentrating on the "less-thens" he goes on a tour of the "bigger-thens" -- the Big Nickel, the Wawa Goose, the expansive Praires.

Shot on a budget of about $55 dollars (and a couple of thousand bucks for a suite at the Banff Springs Hotel) the film takes us on an incredible cross-country trip that, Jackson has noted, was shot in sequence with a small, independent crew.

It's part travelogue, part cautionary tale, part celebration of what makes this country great.

Far from being depressing, it's actually encouraging. I found it inspiring...but then again, I love me some Canada with a side of Pacey.