Shania: A Life in Eight Albums

The documentary Shania: A Life in Eight Albums illustrates the journey Eilleen Edwards, better known as Shania Twain, embarked on towards her musical career. It tells the story of her life before she gained international success after working with British producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and conveniently ends after she receives the phone call that would change her life. This is perhaps done as an attempt to reverse the magnitude and effect the American presence has in every Canadian. It is believed that this American presence lies in us all and its prominence varies from person to person. It is perhaps stronger in those that pursue careers in the U.S., such as actors and musicians because they spend much of their time in America. By ending the documentary at a pivotal point in her life, the start of her major success, and thus neglecting to show the part of her life where she became popular and perhaps more influenced by U.S., the documentary works to counteract the presence of the American spirit. Furthermore, it works to uncover the Shania who may have been obscured as a result of her American and International success. The film does this by showing her always going back to her roots-she is shown outside in the Canadian wilderness a lot, and it is evident that she is comfortable and at home here. For instance, there is one scene where she is walking outside with her grandfather, discussing her music and she tells him, "It doesn’t feel like me." This juxtaposition illustrates her Canadianness in conflict with her Americanness. It demonstrates how Shania is fighting to keep her Canadian identity.
I think that because the documentary works to maintain Shania’s Canadian identity, the intended audience would be fellow Canadians. It shows them that she hasn’t lost herself in her success. On the other hand, it could also be seen as aimed towards Americans, to remind them that she is Canadian and that they cannot have claim over her even if she did gain success in America. I think that this film allows Canadians to connect with eachother without becoming "glitzy, sensationalized and commercialized" because it does not exhibit any of this. It is very unsensationalized, and again only shows the struggles that Shania went through, leaving out the part of her life where she achieved success which would be accompanied by glamour and commercialism. Canadians can connect with eachother because we are not usually associated with a glamourized world-but with wilderness and nature-hence why much of the film shows Shania at home in the wilderness. It is through this that Canadians relate to her as well as to eachother.