The animated “documentary” titled Ryan, was shown at the Edmonton Public Library’s theatre on September 25, along with Alter Egos which is about the making of Ryan. I highly recommend seeing these films! However, not at all for the reason’s EPL describes:

Winner of the Oscar for best animated short, director Chris Landreth’s Ryan is an “animated documentary” based on the life of artist Ryan Larkin. Once one of Canada’s most influential animators, Larkin now lives on welfare and begs for money on the streets of Montreal. Employing stunning visual effects, the film traces Larkin’s descent into mental illness and addiction. Ryan will be shown along with the documentary Alter Egos – which gives further insight into Larkin’s struggles and examines the complex relationship between him and Landreth.

I have previously written about Ryan and I disagree with EPL’s description of the two films. Ryan is not based on the life of Ryan Larkin. It is based on an interview with Ryan Larkin. The visuals are interesting, certainly deceptive, but not stunning. The film does not trace Larkin’s descent into mental illness though it does attempt to blame him for not overcoming his mental illness and implies a false causal relationship between Larkin’s substance abuse and his illness/situation. I am not convinced that Landreth was as interested in having Larkin as the subject of the “documentary” as he was interested in becoming a part of Larkin’s life.

Ryan should not be seen without seeing the documentary “Alter Egos.” Alter Egos is about the making of Ryan and while it does not attempt to explain Larkin’s descent to the streets, it manages to provide more explanation than Ryan does. Alter Egos exposes Landreth for what he became by making Ryan and is a much more potent film.

You can get Ryan/Alter Egos from Edmonton Public Library. I was able to rent it at my local Blockbuster and you can order it directly from the National Film Board.