Broken Country, a 113-minute documentary from 2811 Films, is playing theaters across Canada and the United States through the end of October. Viewers anywhere can also watch it at home for $14.99. Mira Metter wrote and directed.
The film’s premise: Canada is one of the largest countries in the world with some of the richest natural resources, and it holds a founding seat in the G7. The filmmakers want to know what went wrong. They frame the question this way: “How did this happen, and can it be put right?”
The documentary takes on healthcare, housing, drug addiction and opioids, and immigration. The filmmakers describe their method on the film’s website: “In every subject it asks three things: what is happening now, when did it last work, and which policies threw it off course.” They add: “It promotes no party and no agenda.”
The filmmakers interviewed thousands of Canadians and more than 70 policy experts, 32 of whom are featured. The roster includes Dr. Alika Lafontaine, a former president of the Canadian Medical Association, and Dr. Andrew Furey, an orthopaedic surgeon and former premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. Lisa Raitt, a former federal minister now at CIBC, appears, as does Tyler Meredith, a former economic advisor to Justin Trudeau. Nadeem Esmail of the Fraser Institute and William B.P. Robson of the C.D. Howe Institute speak on economics. Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former senior CSIS officer, covers national security. Steve Doherty of Youth Without Shelter and Neil Hetherington of Daily Bread Food Bank are also featured.
They set out to examine the reality behind Canada’s reputation in the United States as a model for universal healthcare and an expansive government.
One of the filmmakers addressed who is behind the project in a post on X. The film was funded entirely by Canadians, he wrote, and everyone who worked on it is Canadian. He described himself and his wife as the people behind it, and said they made it for their kids. “We decided to fight,” he wrote. “This is a project of passion to change our country for the better and answer in a rigorously fact-based and fact-checked approach the answer to the question: ‘What Happened?’”
Upcoming Screenings
Canada:
Oct. 13: Park Theatre, Vancouver, 6:00 p.m.
Oct. 13: Roxy Theatre, Saskatoon, 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 14: Landmark Country Hills (Calgary), Landmark City Centre (Edmonton), Center Cinema (Dawson Creek), and Tower Theatre (Yorkton), all at 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 15 through 19: Peace River, North Battleford, Fort Saskatchewan, St. Paul, and Strathmore
United States:
Oct. 21: Harkins Scottsdale 101, Phoenix, 7:00 p.m., Q&A with the director
Oct. 22: Santa Barbara IFF Film Center, 6:00 p.m., Q&A with the director
Oct. 26: Landmark Ritz V, Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 28: PAM CUT, Portland, 7:00 p.m., Q&A with the director
Oct. 31: Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 11:00 a.m.
Tickets and the home-viewing option are at brokencountry.com/screenings.
Canada gets cited in American debates over healthcare and government programs. Will a Canadian film that puts a former Trudeau advisor alongside think-tank economists change how Americans use Canada as an example?