Just because you’re with family, it doesn’t mean you know who you are.
Meadowlarks introduces us to four Indigenous siblings (Michael Greyeyes, Carmen Moore, Alex Rice and Michelle Thrush) who were separated as a result of the Sixties Scoop. Growing up in very different environments, this weekend is meant to be an opportunity for them to put a missing piece of their family puzzle back together. However, as tensions begin to mount and secrets are revealed, the four must look deep within themselves to process their grief and rebuilt their identities.
Directed by Tasha Hubbard, Meadowlarks is a fictionalized drama based on her 2017 documentary, Birth of a Family. Using the experiences of that family as a template, Hubbard builds her narrative with a structure that feels almost like a play. Four characters with different histories in a single location is a natural tension builder and scenes within the cabin are palpable with emotion. Sharply written and executed, Meadowlarks becomes an incisive character study about the nature of family, especially when you feel like outsiders.
But what makes Meadowlarks work is the balance between its characters. Each one of these siblings steps into this weekend together with love in their eyes and brokenness in their hearts. Although they may have come from the same family, their lives have all been entirely different, leading to a variety of scars. A genuine desire to connect with one another remains offset by their individual traumas. For some, growing up has been a joyful experience. For others, nothing but painful heartbreak. Privilege is held up against poverty. Safety is held up against fear.
Yes, they may be family by blood. But their separation has led them down very different paths that threaten their ability to connect with each other—and their family history. As a result, every meal together or family excursion feels pregnant with unspoken tension. These are essentially strangers who expect to find a connection with one another that transcends relationship… but their personal struggles make this journey increasingly difficult.
Despite the fact that they’re family, it doesn’t mean that they know one another.
This, of course, leads to increased tension as stories begin to unravel and secrets are revealed. As they reconnect for the first time, every one of them bears unnecessary guilt for their collective trauma and yearns to find a new path forward. But doing so requires creating a safe space for all, and such a thing is never easy to accomplish.
It’s worth noting that this is one of those films where each performance feels like a standout role. Greyeyes, Thrush, Moore and Rice all absolutely deliver stellar work, creating characters who are confident in who they are and yet entirely unsure of who they’re supposed to be. Together, they offer remarkable work as they both support and challenge one another amidst these otherworldly circumstances. This is a story about resurrecting the past as they move into the future.
Most of all, this is a story about reconnecting with one’s identity.
Not just the family they’re supposed to have had the opportunity to know. Not just coming to peace with their personal journeys. For these characters, this is their moment to discover the depth of their Indigenous heritage. Unlocking the journey of their mother creates spaces for their hearts to bleed for the pain that she must have endured during the Sixties Scoop. They feel their own hurts from their experiences and vent their frustrations with one another.
Yet, at the same time, Meadowlarks is also a celebration. Although their trauma is exposed, the film also manages to tap into the healing nature of rediscovering their Indigenous heritage. Whether they’re connected to their history or finding it out for the first time, each character is invited to experience the joy of their culture. In doing so, Meadowlarks balances its tone between hurt and hopefulness, honouring what came before even if it was stolen from them.
But that’s the complex joy that fuels Meadowlarks. Hubbard’s mixture of the exploration of suffering and celebration of culture creates a stunning tension that feels compelling in some moments, heartfelt in others and, at all times, authentic.
Meadowlarks is available in theatres on November 28th, 2025.
