It's been said that the meaning of the Canadian identity is to be always searching for our identity. That Canadians are cursed with an annoying obsession with trying to define ourselves.

Douglas Coupland, a man who's made a career out of defining modern culture, has also tried to solve that elusive riddle: what is Canada? In his 2002 book, Souvenir of Canada and its 2004 sequel, Souvenir of Canada 2, Coupland eschews the worn stereotypes of Mounties and beer-swilling hockey fanatics, focusing instead on quirky, everyday Canadian-isms.

He's fascinated by bilingual product packaging for example, by stubby beer bottles, and by badly produced game shows like "The Mad Dash" (remember that one?)

Coupland's book has now been turned into a fun and often irreverent documentary of the same name. Director Robin Neinstein brings the book to life using old film stock from the CBC and the National Film Board (which co-produced this movie), as well as animation and Coupland's own photography.

"The books are very visual and cinematic already, and lend themselves well to being told on film," Neinstein told CTV.ca in an interview. "His imagination is so kaleidoscopic; and I wanted to express that."

While following Coupland through his quest for patriotic self-discovery, the film also provides a rare portrait of Coupland himself, a man who has become a part of the Canadian fabric too.

"Douglas is passionate about Canada. And I wanted to find out why," Neinstein says "So as the film explores Doug's personal connection to Canada, it's really a portrait of a man who is looking for Canada."

Coupland became a media darling in 1991, after he shot to sudden fame with his debut novel Generation X, an international sensation that helped coin such phrases as "conspicuous minimalism," "McJobs" and the term "Generation X" itself.

What many may not know is that Coupland was a visual artist long before he became a writer and studied at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. In recent years, he has returned to art, putting on shows featuring his unexpected observations about modern life and his vision for the future.

Coupland's quest for the solution to that old riddle of "What is Canada?" led him to build a massive art installation devoted to all things Canuck, dubbed "Canada House." The work was exhibited at galleries across the country, but may have found its truest form in the original Canada House that Coupland assembled in an actual abandoned house in Vancouver.

Neinstein's camera documents the ambitious project, from the decision to spray paint everything in the house – and that means every last thing – gallery white, to filling the rooms with Coupland's memories and notions of Canadiana. There are floor lamps made of fishing buoys, dozens of cans of long-forgotten beer brands, a giant photo of the Canadarm opposite an equally giant photo of Terry Fox's prosthetic leg – an endless list of items from Coupland's youth and from the childhoods of many Canadian Gen X-ers.

While some have dismissed the installation as a collection of junk elevated to art status by its placement in a museum setting, Neinstein thinks such critics miss the point.

"Just because the pieces are everyday objects, it doesn't mean they're not important. These objects do have tremendous meaning for Canada and Canadians. People instantly recognize these objects as things of their past that pulled on their heartstrings. But until this, no one has ever shone the spotlight on them before," he says.

"The thing is: Canada is elusive," Neinstein continues. "And Douglas has pulled these things together and catalogued them so they don't get forgotten. So yes, it looks like your mom's attic but that's kind of the point."

Neinstein's film also offers a touching portrait of Coupland's awkward but loving connection to his father. In dedicating his first Souvenir of Canada book to his dad, Coupland said of him: "-- a more Canadian man is hard to imagine, and to follow in his footsteps is the deepest of honours."

The aging, elder Coupland tells Neinstein's camera that he was immensely touched by that dedication, and further startles his son by revealing that he's always read all of his books.

"Douglas' parents had never talked to him about his books," Neinstein says. "I was floored by that," he says, adding that he's not sure Coupland's father ever understood what his postmodern son was writing about.

"So I think he was trying to bridge the divide with his parents with this book."

"He was real to his father after the first Souvenir book. They found common ground, and that was in their love for Canada."

Canadians still searching for their Canada may not always find it in Coupland's vision. But they'll surely find a few reasons to smile during this 70-minute documentary and marvel at our strange but lovable country.

Souvenir of Canada premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10.