Split Screens

I am on an Air Canada jet plane flying from Calgary to London (the real one). Thousands of km high in the air I’m watching “When did you last see your father?,” a movie based on a memoir written by my soon to be professor Blake Morrisson. The passenger next to me is watching “88 Minutes” an Al Pachino movie filmed in Vancouver sometime during 2006/ 2007. I was an extra in the movie, (one of the low moments of my acting career but I got to see Al Pachino work, so I guess it wasn’t really all that bad). My eyes flicker from screen to screen. England. Vancouver. New life. Old life. Excitement. Sadness. What’s to come. What’s been... You get the idea.

My two lives are being projected two feet in front of me mid-air somewhere mid-way between these two countries. I’m finding it to be a very surreal moment. Torn. Split. Divided. My heart aches. I see UBC, Gastown, Yaletown and oh, oh! the Downtown East Side. Sniff.

The symbolism of my life on these two screens in this moment is so strong it’s comical. I miss you Vancouver! I’m coming London!

-It should be noted that this dual movie watching totally distracted me from the plot of the English movie. Good thing I’ve already been assigned to read the book. I’ll catch up soon.