The Tragically Hip: Long Time Running

If you look at video footage of old concert performances by Canada's much beloved rock ‘n' roll band the Tragically Hip, you will see in lead singer and chief songwriter Gord Downie a different kind of star: strapping and charismatic, to be sure, but also someone who looks like your friendly neighbor killing it at a karaoke block party. Contrast that with the ailing, ashen Downie presented in filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nick De Pencier's moving documentary Long Time Running, which follows Downie and the rest of the group during its farewell tour in the summer of 2016 after Downie (who died in October 2017) had already been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and undergone major surgery to remove most of a tumor. The procedure bought Downie time but had neurological costs that made a tour questionable. The film captures the escalating impact of those costs as the Tragically Hip cross Canada to say goodbye in performance, culminating in a final show seen by millions on live television. Downie grows weaker as the days go by, needing help with getting dressed and remembering lyrics (he's aided by a teleprompter). Once on stage, he looks frail but in command of tearful audiences who can't believe this is the end of a national narrative, one that equated the band with Canada's very identity. Long Time Running offers a lot of historical context as band members talk about the "tortuous" if also rewarding process of staying together for three decades, and while the mood here is grey and heavy at times, at other moments it is sweet and funny. And then there's the music, which shines. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)