Alter Egos

Alter Egos

| 52 min
Free
streaming

Also available

DVD

In this award-winning animation-documentary, we meet two unusual artists. Ryan Larkin was once a brilliant filmmaker who ended up on the streets in Montreal. Chris Landreth is a rising star in animation beginning to experience the kind of adulation Larkin received decades earlier.

With excerpts from both men's Oscar®-nominated works, this film delves into the tale of Larkin’s descent and the fascinating relationship that developed between the two men. It is a poignant study of artists, addiction and creativity.

Pedagogical evaluations and study guides are only available to CAMPUS subscribers.

CAMPUS

Features designed specifically for teachers. Learn more

Already subscribed? Sign in

Embed this code on your site

Alter Egos, Laurence Green, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Video player width

by Reset
Credits
  • writer
    Laurence Green
  • director
    Laurence Green
  • producer
    Steven Hoban
    Mark Smith
    Adam Symansky
  • executive producer
    Karyn Nolan
    Noah Segal
    Sally Bochner
    David Verrall
  • associate producer
    Jeremy Edwardes
  • director of photography
    Jay Ferguson
  • additional photography
    John Westhauser
  • editor
    Susan Martin
  • additional editing
    Allan Code
  • composer
    Adam Warner
    Dan Turcotte
    Jeremy Edwardes
  • sound recordist
    Sanjay Mehta
    Glenn Hodgins
    Philippe Scultéty
  • production assistant
    Pier-Nadeige Jutras
    Melanie Moulton
  • production accountant
    Brian Borts
    Valerie L. Whiteside
  • post-production supervisor
    Paula Devonshire
  • assistant editor
    Maggie Cheung
  • compositing effects
    Joe Raasch
  • titles
    Todd Ivey
  • slates
    Todd Ivey
  • digital film transfer
    Film Effects Inc.
  • picture editing services
    Coptor Productions Inc.
  • sound design services
    Tattersall Sound & Picture
  • sound supervisor
    David McCallum
  • re-recording mixer
    Lou Solakofski
  • dialogue editor
    Graham Jones
  • sound effects editor
    Ronayne Higginson
  • sound mixing services
    Casablanca Magnetic North
  • music engineer
    Dan Turcotte
  • music engineer - assistant
    Peter Hathway
  • music recording facilities
    Coptor Music
  • commissioning editor
    Andrew Johnson
  • production executive
    Rachel Fulford
    Lynne Carter
 See also
Film and Video Arts
All subjects
Featured Films
All channels
Add a new comment
  • Joan_Incontro

    I would have liked to have heard Ryan complete his thought about how easy it is to portray grotesque versions of reality. Unfortunately he was cut off. It is an interesting and very sensitive observation. It is something that is at the heart of many artistic works. And possibly, it is at the heart of the idea of exploitation itself. I disagree with the comment from 'framed' who seems to be saying that getting paid a few bucks somehow cancels out being exploited. How much money is it worth to be treated or portrayed as a grotesque? Sadly, there are many in this world who can answer that question from experience. But this question Ryan raises is profound. Highlighting and focusing on grotesquery is a facile approach to documentary, especially when the subject is such a deeply vulnerable human. All that said, I am not 100% certain that is what Chris Landreth did in his film. I think he struggles with being patronizing and smug. I was quite moved by his film 'Ryan' as well as by this one, 'Alter Egos'. I only wish Ryan could have been allowed the space he needed to express himself about his feelings about his portrayal. It would have been very interesting I think and probably better for him.

    Joan_Incontro, 9 Feb 2012
  • Felipe_Carrelli

    I think takes courage to expose ours faults. Not that it will redeem our past, but we can avoid further errors in the future. i dont know Ryan, Laurence or Chris. but no one is only guilty or innocent. We all make mistakes, and is very difficult to assume, especially when we hurt other people. Everyone has an interest behind our choices. i think this documentary is about that too: Making choices and be aware of them, of of their impact.Is easy to judge, but maybe this documentary brought the opportunity to Ryan on making "Spare Change". who knows what would be of Ryan without "Ryan" or "Alter Egos" or even "Walking". I mean, we make our choises alone. And I think the great thing of the NFB's documentary is that they open our mind to those profund questions, that are very contemporany to our world. Self criticism, self exposure and rethinking dynamic.

    Felipe_Carrelli, 13 Dec 2011
  • framed

    It would be interesting to know if Ryan Larkin had been paid for is parts in Ryan and this documentary. If the answer is no, then both films fall into the category of exploitative. Personally, I never cared for Chris Landreth's, Ryan, mainly because I kept getting the feeling while watching it, that it was made to speak more about Landreth belief in his own supposed genius, than Larkin's. And Landreth's line about submitting Ryan for an academy award proves it. No wonder Larkin ended up the way he did. It seems he has weakness for welcoming people into his life who really don't care about him.

    framed, 8 Nov 2010

Related Films

More great films

Explore

The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes. If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more