ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

indigenous people

TIFF ’22: Stellar

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Directed by Darlene Naponse, Stellar is a whimsical love story between She (Elle-Maija Tailfeathers) and He (Braeden Clarke), a young couple who meet in an underground bar in Northern Ontario. As the world bears witness to massive wildfires, flooding and destruction, the two remain safe within the confines of the tavern walls. Even so, while the two explore the potential of a future together, they must also deal with the horrors of the past as they unfurl around them.

With a poetic eye, Stellar is a beautiful piece which explores the trauma of the Indigenous population. Set entirely within the walls of one small bar, Stellar’s narrative feels as though it wants to unravel the grand narrative of history. By delving into conversations surrounding white privilege, education inequity, violence and even residential schools, the film highlights the damage that has been done to the First Nations people over the centuries.

Among the more noteworthy aspects of the film are its visuals. Taking pages out of Terrence Malick and Aronofsky, Stellar uses its visuals to explore complex metaphors to unfold the narrative questions of the indigenous population. Featuring immersive visuals that blur the narrative lines, the film makes connections between the soul of the indigenous population and the natural world. Naponse uses this unique form of storytelling to depict the ebb and flow of time, giving the story a sense of uprising and inevitability.

While the film’s slow pacing and lyrical visuals will undoubtedly frustrate some viewers, Stellar is a film that will demand a response. The truth of the matter is that this is a film with something to say and requires an attentive ear (and eye). However, for those who are willing to humble themselves and allow themselves to be absorbed within it, there’s no doubt that Stellar will take them on a journey that they will not forget.a

Stellar is now playing at TIFF ’22. For screening information, click here.

TIFF ’22: Bones of Crows

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Directed by the talented Indigenous director Marie Clements, Bones of Crows follows the epic and horrid journey of Aline Spears (an incredible Grace Dove), an indigenous women member of the Manitoba Cree community. Following her journey from the 1920’s through to the 2000’s, Crow’s story highlights the torture that she endured as a survivor of residential schools. From the horrors inflicted upon them by the Catholic Church to the forced separation of families, Aline and her siblings fight to survive in a country that works equally as hard to eradicate them.

Highlighting the pervasive sexual abuse and the murder of children without repercussions from the government, Bones of Crows shows the disgusting filth that the ‘civilized’ white people did to these ‘savage Indians’. As a result, Aline’s life is one of torture, suffering from the emotional and physical effects of the Catholic Church. Stripping the Cree of both their culture and their humanity, the Church masked genocide with a will to ‘help’. Despite their attempts to apologize, Crows reminds the viewer that the Catholic church still has not taken full responsibility for their actions.

However, at the same time, the film also shows the amazing perseverance that the strength the Cree (and, more specifically, Aline) revealed as they attempt to dig themselves out of the dark pit that the White population have put them through, including taking the opportunity to challenge and confront their abusers. In the face of generational trauma, the Cree community continue to speak their story in their own voice to take back the truth that was denied them.

In the end, Bones of Crows is truly a powerful film that all Canadians should see. Although it may be hard to watch, the film is absolute must-viewing, especially at a time when the Indigenous population still have not received what they deserve as restitution.

The Legend of Molly Johnson – One woman’s struggle

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How far will someone go to protect the ones they love? In Leah Purcell’s Australian Western, The Legend of Molly Johnson, we see one woman’s answer to that question in very trying conditions. The film is based on Purcell’s play which reimagined a nineteenth century Australian short story, “The Drover’s Wife”. (The onscreen title of the film is The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson.)

Molly Johnson (Purcell) is alone with her four children (with a fifth due very soon) in a small isolated house in the Australian outback. Her husband is a sheep drover and has been gone for six months. Her first response to any outsider (human or beast) is to grab her rifle. When she is confronted with an Aboriginal man named Yadaka (Rob Collins) in shackles, she is cautious, but takes him in temporarily. As the tentative bond between them is tested, they discover secrets that bring Molly’s life into a new focus. Yadaka connects with Molly’s oldest son, Danny, and begins to teach him about “Man’s business” and some Aboriginal concepts. He becomes a bit of a father figure for the boy.

When her husband does not come back from the drive (and it’s learned he never showed up for it) the new lawman in town becomes suspicious and sends a constable to the Johnson home to investigate. There he finds Yadaka, who is wanted for murder. This creates a dangerous situation for all three, which ends up in a deadly showdown. Before long, forces are tearing Molly’s family apart. In the process Molly becomes a symbol of women’s struggle in society and of racism.

The film cinematography gives a great sense of the beauty and severity of Molly’s life in the isolated countryside. That beauty and severity are reflected in Molly’s personal struggle. She is a woman of great love for her children. But that love often pushes her difficult actions. And we know that for Molly survival is not about self, but about her children.

It is of note that Purcell took “The Drover’s Wife” and completely changed the concept of the story to reflect post-colonial ideas. The racial and women’s rights aspects of the film are not a part of the short story. Yet it is those ideas that give the film its power.

Purcell comes from an Aboriginal background and views storytelling as something near to sacred. Stories are passed from generation to generation as a way to transmit identity and culture. She sees this film as a form of Dreaming (an Aboriginal artform). That concept is very clear in the film’s ending. It is a delight, at the film’s end, to see a story being told anew and being left to discern just how that fits into and completes the story.

Molly’s and Yakada’s struggles as they are revealed throughout the film are a reminder of the hardships women and people of color have had to endure in times past—and often still do. Those hardships are not benign, but often grow out of abuses that many people at the time viewed as acceptable. As we look back we may think we’ve grown past such ideas, but in reality, we too often understand we have not.

The Legend of Molly Johnson is in select theaters and available on digital platforms.

Photos courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Prey: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

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Sometimes, the best way to reboot a franchise is to… not reboot it?

Set nearly 300 years ago, Prey is a refreshing and energetic take on a franchise that has long needed one. Since Arnie successfully defeated the big baddie in the jungles of the 1980s, Hollywood has been looking for another way to allow the Predator to return. This has led to a number of sequels and reboots which have not met expectations. From nonsensical battles with the Alien franchise, boring scripts and (lest we forget) the infamous “Predator Suit“ from the most recent iteration, the franchise has simply devolved into nonsensical madness, without adding to the original film in any positive way. 

But Prey finally breaks the pattern.

Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ PREY, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

As the latest entry into the classic Predator franchise, 20th Century Studios’ Prey takes place in the Comanche Nation as young Naru (Amber Midthunder), a highly skilled warrior seeks to begin the necessary process to become a tribal hunter. Then, when her camp comes under attack, Naru insists that she is allowed to participate in the hunt to protect her people. However, they soon discover that the prey that they hunt is actually a brutal predator from another world that threatens to wipe out all who oppose it.

Filled with brutality and violence, Prey is a genuine surprise and a welcome return for the iconic beast. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, there is a ferocity embedded within this film that we have not seen since the original. With the change in setting (and era), Trachtenberg has the opportunity to start from scratch while still tapping into the nostalgia vein. Sharply written and executed, Prey allows the bodycount to rise with glee yet never becomes the self-parody that we have seen in other sequels. Instead, skinned animals and severed limbs play out with an edge that meets the franchise’s gore-ifying expectations but, more importantly, serve the story as well. 

Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios’ PREY, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

The best thing about Prey is that it strips the franchise down to its basic routes. The most terrifying trait of the intergalactic beast was not its weaponry or the fact that it could disappear. Instead, the most intriguing part of its character was simply that it was a hunter looking for the challenge of its next kill. (He is the Predator, after all.) But by shifting narrative focus onto a people who pride themselves on their ability to do the same, Preyalso manages to blur the lines between hunter and hunted, creating a unique dramatic tension within the film.

In fact, Prey even feels like it has something to say. Featuring a cast comprised almost entirely of Native and First Nations talent, Prey does an excellent job of highlighting a group that are often underrepresented in Hollywood, celebrating the strength and bravery of their culture. What’s more, with the addition of some new characters midway through the film, it allows the film explores the terror of colonization and its detrimental effect. (In fact, these moments even open up the conversation on what it means to truly be an ‘invader’.)

(L-R): Samiyah Crowfoot as Young Comanche Girl and Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios’ PREY, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

At the same time, Prey is also a celebration of feminine spirit and strength, especially through the eyes of its star, Amber Midthunder. As young Naru, Midthunder offers an incredible performance as a young woman attempting to prove herself to her tribe. While the women of her tribe usually take on the role of homemaker, Naru is a gifted tracker and yearns to be a hunter. However, neither the men nor the women of her tribe see her as qualified for this role of provider, she does not believe that is the case. (In fact, even the Predator itself fails to see her as much of a threat.) Wanting to honour the traditions of her people, Naru struggles to break free from the expectations of her tribe. Nevertheless, there is a bubbling strength and ferocity within her that is just waiting to be unleashed. With fire in her eyes, Midthunder fuels Naru with increasing viciousness as she draws nearer to the intergalactic beast.

She doesn’t fully understand her prey but she does understand what she needs to become in order to protect her people.

Amber Midthunder as Naru and Dane DiLiegro as the Predator in 20th Century Studios’ PREY, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

If anything, the most frustrating aspect of Prey is that it has made its debut solely on Disney+. Perhaps it was a lack of confidence in the IP or its marketability, but this is a film that would have been an energetic addition to the summer theatrical lineup. Prey is fun, furious and surprises in the best of ways. 

And, while a sequel is only barely teased, I’d certainly welcome another hunt.

Prey is available on Disney+ on Friday, August 5th, 2022.

Slash/Back: Hunting for Heritage

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You don’t [mess] with the girls from Pang.

Written and directed by Nyla Innuksuk, Slash/Back is set in Pangnirtung, Nunavut and tells the story of Maika (Tasiana Shirley) and her friends (Alexis Vincent-Wolf, Chelsea Pruksy and Nalajoss Ellsworth). With school closed for summer, this sunlight-drenched part of the world settles in for a typical summer of fun. However, when an unknown presence threatens their hometown, the group must band together to ward off the alien threat.

Set in the heart of Nunavut, Slash/Back is a fun and furious sci-fi horror that also feels relevant with its exploration of Indigenous issues. For her first feature, Innusuk takes a story of four indigenous teens battling aliens and makes it feels like an act of love. Part Attack the Block and part Amblin-style adventure, the film is a celebration of indigenous culture and youthfulness that also fully entertains. As a love letter to the horror genre, this ‘zombie creature-feature’ knows how to make use of its limited budget and special effects to imbue the film with a sense of dread without skimping on the blood splatters. What’s more, the film has some joyful performances from its young cast that help the film feel authentic, even in its wildest of moments. (Performances become particularly noteworthy when one considers that this is also the first film for its young stars.)

While it absolutely brings the blood, Slash/Back also reminds us of the value of owning one’s cultural identity as it speaks to the emotional weight that can be carried by indigenous teens. Struggling to connect with their parents or their culture, the younger generation is shown to have a deeply rooted frustration within themselves. Feeling disconnected from their heritage, there is a sense of frustration about their ethnicity and the way that others view them. (In fact, Maika even argues that her her parents only create art in order to appease white tourists.)

Their indigeneity may be who they are… but that doesn’t mean that it’s who they want to be.

However, as the pressure of alien invasion mount, things begin to change. When their community is threatened, they begin to take ownership of their cultural heritage and they rise up to protection their hometown. All of a sudden, the shame that they once felt gives way a sense of pride. This connection with their history gives life to their souls and the young teens are driven into action. There is a fury that burns deeply within them that is unleashed against the outside threat. 

With its ambitious tone and enthusiasm, there’s a lot to like about Slash/Back. With wild kills and chills, Innuksuk clearly has a love for the horror genre that fuels the film. Even so, what makes the film so special though is its beating heart of cultural celebration. As Maika and her friends step forward to fight, Slash/Back shows the strength of the Indigenous people and the power that stems from owning their heritage.

Because, after all, you don’t [mess] with the girls from Pang.

Slash/Back is available in theatres on Friday, June 24th, 2022

HotDocs ’22: Beautiful Scars

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Directed by Shane Belcourt, Beautiful Scars delves into the life of former Junkhouse frontman Tom Wilson and the secrets of his past. As the son of George and Bunny Wilson, a blind war veteran and his overly-protective wife, Tom found solace in his music. With a gift for poetic language, Wilson’s fame came quickly yet put an incredible strain on his home life. What’s more, the discovery that his parents had been keeping a secret from him his entire life sent shockwaves through his system. With honesty and humility, Scars allows Wilson the opportunity to share his story onscreen, including the struggles that dragged him down and the difficult path to rediscovery.

In many ways, Beautiful Scars unpacks two very different but connected narratives. On the one hand, the film is a powerful testimonial of the damage that can be caused when we become obsessed with our own success. Although Wilson his dreams of music stardom, so too does it leave a trail of devastation at home. Fueled by drugs, infidelity and a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, Wilson’s personal indiscretions tore apart his marriage and created a rift between the star and his children. As such, through moving conversations with Wilson’s daughter, Belcourt allows the viewer to hear the heartbreak caused by Wilson’s transgressions. Even so, Wilson’s openness to discuss his rise from the bottom demonstrates the type of humility that it takes in order to bring healing to the wounds that one creates.

However, Scars also focusses on the pain of his lost heritage and the joy of rediscovery. Because the nature of his parentage had been kept a secret from him since childhood, there had always been a disconnect between his family and his soul. Using Super 8 footage projected onto the side of a trailer, Belcourt takes the viewer into the memories of a man who is attempting to put together the pieces of his own life. (In fact, by having Wilson observe the footage himself, Belcourt places some distance between the subject and his story, reinforcing the fact that he’s been uncovering secrets about himself along the way.) As the film explores the ties to his Indigenous heritage, Belcourt’s film also leans into the concept of erasure and the pain that ensues when lives are forced into anonymity. For Wilson, this is a journey into his personal history. Yet Scars also acknowledges that this sort of cultural deletion has happened to many other as well. 

In the end, Beautiful Scars is more than a beautiful story of reconciliation. It’s also a story of encouragement for those who yearn to move forward from the pain of the past and the healing that takes place when the pieces come together.

Beautiful Scars is now playing at HotDocs ’22. For screening information, click here.

Run Woman Run: Moving Out of Our Muck

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We’re all called to run the race of life. But some of us are more afraid to get started than others.

Written and directed by Zoe Leigh Hopkins, Run Woman Run tells the story of Beck (Dakota Ray Hebert), a single mom who is struggling to put it all together. Living with her son and her father, Len (Lorne Cardinal), Beck has essentially given up on life. However, after she has a vision of the iconic First Nations marathon runner, Tom Long, she finds the right voice to encourage her to get moving. 

Like the film’s climactic marathon, Run Woman Run begins slowly but finishes strong. Set amidst a native reserve in Northern Canada, Run explores what it means to restart your life. Anchored by some truly engaging performances by Dakota Ray Hebert and the always endearing Lorne Cardinal, Run manages to overcome some rough terrain and outpace other coming-of-age tales with its unique voice and style.

For Beck, her entire life is stuck on standby. After the death of her mother, she is still reeling from the loss and, essentially, given up entirely. Divorced and living in unhealthy life, she’s shaken up even more when she discovers that she has diabetes, just like her mother. As a result, she has no interest (ability?) to own any aspect of her life, whether it’s her health or even taking time to understand her heritage.

But she’s not the only one. 

Similar to Beck, her father remains paralyzed with grief. Even though he is now in a relationship with a woman that he loves, he is still not ready to move on. Unable to deal with his pain, he hides his wife’s possessions so that he doesn’t have to deal with them. Like his daughter, he too remains in stasis. 

In this way, Run’s becomes about so much more than one woman’s journey towards health and exercise. For Hopkins, Beck’s journey is about the work that’s required emotional healing and restoration. Her conversations with Tom Long serve as somewhat of a spiritual mentor for her, challenging her and calling her into a life that moves forward. Through her interactions with him, she begins to understand that her return to some sense of normalcy is a long one and will require a determination and inner desire. Whether it’s making amends with her family, taking responsibility for her own life or simply choosing to learn about her own heritage, Beck slowly begins to put the pieces back together emotionally and physically, allowing her to look ahead.

In Run Woman Run, writer/director Hopkins tells a simple story that remains beautiful, and poignant. But, most of all, it’s patient. This is a film acknowledges that life is not one moment or a quick fix. Instead, it’s a journey that requires a steady hand and the willingness to be thankful for those that have helped you along the way.

But first, we have to make the choice to get running.

Run Woman Run is available on VOD now.

Rewriting the History Books: 1on1 with Tracey Deer (BEANS)

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I remember the Oka Crisis. Or, at least, I thought I did.

As a pre-teen, I vaguely remember hearing the stories of the Mohawk people who protested the building of a golf course. I remember seeing it on the news and hearing the testimonies of those who were worried that things would escalate. Because I was so young though, I didn’t understand what was really going on or issues such as media bias. Maybe none of us outside the situation really did.

Thankfully, in her stunning new film Beans, writer/director Tracey Deer offers some much-needed perspective on the events that took place that summer. Set against the drama that took place in 1990s Quebec, Beans (Kiawentiio Tarbell) is a young girl who lives on the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawa:ke. Staying with her loving parents (Rainbow Dickerson and Joel Montgrand) and her little sister (Violah Beauvais), Beans lives a life of innocence and safety on the reserve. However, when a proposed expansion to a golf course threatens their burial ground, an armed stand-off develops between the Canadian government and Mohawk population, exposing the racist undercurrents of the local population against the Indigenous population. Unprepared for the hatred that she experiences, Beans must re-examine who she is and transform herself into her own kind of warrior.

Although Beans itself is a fictional story, the film showcases many true events that took place during the events of the Oka Crisis. Having grown up during that time herself, Deer used her personal experiences to shape the characters and story.

“’The film is inspired by true events’ is how we phrase it because all of the events depicted of the Oka Crisis in the film did happen,” she explains. “But my family in the movie is a fictional family. Beans, my protagonist, played by the incredible Kiawentiio is the emotional through line. The coming-of-age journey that she goes on is very much my coming-of-age journey. But I have placed the character in these various historical events [and] I wasn’t at all of them myself. Some of the things that she does and her experiences are not identical to my own, but the emotional through line, the feelings and the growth and the shattering of innocence, all of that, is pulled directly from my own coming-of-age summer.”

While Oka was a massively important event in Canadian culture, Deer notes that history has only ever told it from one side. However, Beans allowed her the opportunity to tell a more complete picture of what really took place and the damage that it caused her family.

“[Voice] is so important. It’s one of the big reasons it was so important to me to make this film,” says Deer. “The way the media [covered] that event 30 years ago did not at all jive with the experience I was having of it. The way they would talk about the Mohawk protesters. These were my neighbors, my cousins, my uncles, my aunties, and to call them terrorists and send the army in against them, it didn’t make any sense. So, it was important to me to show the other side of it—the inside out view of it—so that people could see what it was really like… For so long, the policy of the powers that be [in] the government is to squash us, divide and conquer and take. Oka was really that watershed moment where Indigenous people stood up and said ‘no more’. I’m so proud that we did that. I learned so much about our strength and our resiliency from that summer. I learned so much about the importance of voice and to have my voice heard.”

“I learned a lot of negative things [and] devastating, destructive things that almost destroyed me. I was suicidal at 15 because of all of that rage and all of that hatred was just living inside me. That was that sense of innocence. That sense of safety, the ability to dream, all of that was stolen from me that summer. And I don’t want that stolen from any more indigenous children. So, it’s important that we tell the story like it is and Canadians step up to right the wrongs of history and make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself.

Embedded within Beans lies a powerful question about the nature of resistance. Torn between her father’s more aggressive stance and her mother’s insistence on integrity, Beans must wrestle with what it means to stand up against injustice. By showing this tension, Deer wanted to highlight the value of both perspectives but also show the damage that hatred can do to the soul.

“It’s really the tight rope that I have walked my entire life,” she considers. “I would say certainly as an Indigenous filmmaker, I firmly believe that violence is like a disease. Hatred is a disease. When we put it on to others, it then grows in others and then it’s put in and then it continues. I say that because I know that that was my experience. I learned to hate that day when those rocks were thrown at us, when the back window was burst open and my sister got cut with glass. That is the moment that I learned to hate. Unlike Beans, who lashes out quite a bit in the movie, I wanted to show what that hate looks like. But, for me personally, that hate lived inside me and it started tearing me up.”

“We have to have a line that says violence is never the answer. We need to stand up for ourselves and we do need to be strong. As her mother says, you need to be able to stand up for what’s important to you. And I believe, for me, that is the line that there is a way to stand up and not feed the cycle. And I feel you see that in the scene where the women deescalate the violence. There are ways to do that and we have to get much better at doing that. I think we’re a society that turns to violence and turns to retribution and vengeance way too easily.”

Through Beans’ childlike lens, Deer remembers how these events affected her own childhood and reshaped her understanding of the world.

“That’s exactly what my adolescence felt like. It was a really carefree, fun childhood up until that summer,” she remembers. “That summer really, really shattered that when I realized that who I am is not welcome in the wider world. There’s no place for me. When those people threw those rocks at me, they told me I was worthless. They considered me and my family worthless. So, how as a child, how do you process that? How do you understand that? Okay, I am so worthless that they are allowed to throw rocks at me and the cops stand by and let that happen.”

“This film takes place during the backdrop of the Oka crisis, but incidents like this are happening across the country to this day, right?,” she continues. “Our children are being told by our society, by our country that they are not welcome. And we are told every day that it is not safe for us in the wider world. That is really what I wanted to get across, because I think that sense of entitlement and sense of safety is something that the majority of Canadians take for granted. It is a given that with the right motivation and the will, you can pursue your dreams. You have a tonne of examples of people just like you, who were doing every single thing in the world. So, if they can, why can’t you? You can do it. I want people to understand that that’s not the country that they present to us. If your child was Beans, and this is what she was going through, how would you feel about that? I believe we all have the ability to make a difference. We all have our personal sphere of power, so we can all do something about this. I want people to see this devastating journey that Beans goes on and leave the theater wanting to do what they can to prevent it from happening to any other young indigenous child.

Having said this, the obvious question remains whether or not things have changed in Canada since then. Considering the horrors of abuse that have taken place against the Indigenous children continue to lead the headlines, there remains a great deal of work to be done to heal the pain that has been caused. Even so, Deer also says that she believes some progress has been made.

“The film is a historical movie, you know. It took place 30 years ago but, as you said, the themes are all incredibly current,” she contends. “That makes me really sad and it makes me really angry because, on many levels, I don’t think we’ve come very far as a country in the way that the country handles Indigenous issues. I don’t think the country and the leadership are very good at listening to Indigenous people. I think that’s one of the big things that has to happen for change to happen is [that] Canadians need to become much better listeners and not be so quick to judgment or so quick to think that they know what the solution is. I think it’s just about listening and then doing, based on what you’ve heard.”

“Now, on the other hand, the thing is [that] I don’t want to be all just doom and gloom and dire. I do think there has been progress on some levels. I see it right now. I see that there’s an openness in this country to be hearing from us. There’s a willingness to take down those walls. It’s hard to take down those walls because those walls protect you from feeling implicated[and] responsible, but you are. This is your country, and these things are still happening across the country. The coming of age story for our indigenous kids is still incredibly similar to the story that you see in Beans. So, more work needs to be done. I do think that I am encouraged. I am an optimist, and I always look for ways to be helpful. And I am hopeful. I want to believe in this country and believe in Canadians because I need to. I need you all to do the work. It’s not on us to make things better for things that we didn’t because it’s up to Canadians to do that. So, my answer is twofold. We have not come far enough, but things are happening that are giving me hope.”

Beans is now available in theatres.

To see our complete conversation with Tracey Deer on YouTube, click here.

To hear our conversation with Tracey Deer, click here.

Beans: Torn Between Peace and Protest

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It’s not necessarily a good sign to refer to a film as ‘timely’.

It’s not that the term is a description of a film’s poor quality. (Often, it’s the opposite, in fact.) However, the use of ‘timely’ usually refers to the fact that the issues of injustice raised within the film are still relevant in today’s culture, rightly or wrongly. In this way, the film at hand usually takes an additional meaning as a cry for help for a group who needs to be heard in a time of suffering.

Beans is one of these films.

Set against the drama of the Oka Crisis of 1990, Beans (Kiawentiio Tarbell) is a young girl who lives on the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawa:ke, Quebec. Staying with her loving parents (Rainbow Dickerson and Joel Montgrand) and her little sister (Violah Beauvais), Beans lives a life of innocence and safety on the reserve. However, when a proposed expansion to a golf course threatens their burial ground, an armed stand-off develops between the Canadian government and Mohawk population, exposing the racist undercurrents of the local population against the Indigenous population. Unprepared for the hatred that she experiences, Beans must re-examine who she is and transform herself into her own kind of warrior.

Coming at a time when injustices against the Indigenous population lie at the forefront of Canadian conversations, Beansis a stunning and thought-provoking examination of history from an alternate perspective. While the coverage surrounding the Oka Crisis frequently portrayed the Mohawk people as villains, Beans tells the story through the eyes of the oppressed. (Incidentally, Deer highlights this false narrative by the media by using actual news coverage from the time.) In doing so, writer/director Tracey Deer offers an intimate story from the perspective of someone who lived through it herself as a youth. Though the characters are fictional, the story takes pages out of her experiences and reframes the incident through the eyes of innocence. 

Caught between her family and the terrifying events that swirl around her, Beans’ world is shaken by the unjust hatred thrust upon them. By choosing to tell the story through the eyes of young Beans, the events within the film become even more horrifying for the viewer at times. (This is especially true in one particular moment where her family is being harassed within their car, a scene which may be one of the most harrowing onscreen moments of the year.) 

A film this intense requires a lot from its young star but Deer has found an incredible talent in young Kiawentiio. As Beans, Kiawentiio absolutely shines. Despite being featured in almost every scene, she shows a maturity in her performance that grounds the film. Balancing both youthful innocence and justifiable rage behind her eyes, the actress feels present throughout the film which leans into its authenticity.

As she navigates the painful events that unravel before her, Beans’ journey is very much a battle for her soul. After bearing witness to the racist attacks at the hands of local citizens, Beans is left without answers. Though she has lived a relatively quiet life on the reserve, her experiences of the horrors of injustice force her to re-evaluate the way she sees the world. When she falls in with a group of young rebels who refuse to accept the behaviour that they’ve seen, they teach her how to hate her oppressors and take action against them. At the same time though, Beans is also told by her mother that she needs to be ‘better than they say she is’ by taking a more peaceful approach to insurrection. For her mother, the best response to these racist attacks is to demonstrate her integrity by the strength of her character as opposed to violence. 

In this way, Deer takes an interesting approach to the conversation surrounding the proper responses to injustice. Instead of advocating for either method as the correct one, Deer recognizes the need for both non-violence and force. Through Beans’ journey, she points out that, while the non-violent approach may be best, there are also times when other methods may be necessary in order to bring about change. As a result, Deer manages to hold both responses in tension with one another with grace and understanding.

Sharply written and executed, Beans is easily one of the best (and most important) Canadian films of the year. By sharing her experiences through the eyes of young Beans, writer/director Deer has created a story that’s both personal and poignant. Most importantly though, her emphasis on racial injustice against Canada’s  Indigenous population provides an added layer for a country seeking to chart a new path of healing for a nation torn apart by the pain of the past. 

In short, Beans provides a voice that is timely.

To hear our conversation with writer/director Tracey Deer, click here (YouTube) or here (audio).

Beans is available in theatres on Friday, July 23rd, 2021.

Song Without a Name – A Steep Climb

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Life is hard for those on the edge of society. It is often made harder by official indifference of authorities. It is even worse when the authorities feel free to take advantage of such people. Melina León’s film Song Without a Name shows just how such injustice can take place.

Inspired by real events, the film is set in Peru in 1988. There is economic chaos with astronomical inflation. But for Georgina and Leo, an indigenous couple in the Andes, life is lived day to day. Leo is a traditional dancer, Geo sings traditional songs, and they get by selling potatoes on the street. Geo is pregnant, and when she hears a radio ad about a clinic that will provide free medical care for expectant mothers, she takes the long bus ride into Quito for an exam. When she goes into labor, she takes that long bus ride again, gives birth, and encouraged to sleep. When she wakes up, she’s told the baby is at the hospital, and forcibly ushered out of the clinic. When she returns the next day, the clinic is gone. It was part of an operation to provide black market babies for adoption abroad.

On her first visit to the clinic, there were children jumping rope in the courtyard. As the jumped they chanted, “Single, married, widowed, or dead, divorced mother or not, you are worthless.” That rhyme reflects the official indifference that Geo encounter when they report the kidnapping to authorities. The police ask for her identity number, and when she doesn’t have one, she’s asked how they know who she really is. It seems to end any caring by the police, because to them she is a non-person.

It is only after she goes to a newspaper and finds a journalist willing to investigate that we discover that this is an ongoing concern that has official protection. But even when it is brought to light, there is likely nothing to be done about finding Geo’s daughter.

The film is an interesting mix of this story, and a look at the life of indigenous people such as Leo and Geo. The film begins with Leo and others dedicating his new dance clothes, and a celebration of dance and song. Those folkloric interludes show the richness of life that they share in, even if their everyday life may seem a struggle. For those who treat them as “worthless”, these scenes are a statement of the great value they actually have.

The songs are also very much tied into the grief and pain that Geo is going through. Lyrics include, “Time is the longest distance between two places”, “I don’t want to die alone far away”, and “Express bus, where are you taking me”.  These all reflect Geo’s emotional turmoil. The height of this is when we hear her sing a lullaby to her absent daughter. The emptiness she feels is palpable.

The cinematography of the film (which is done in Black and White with a 4:3 aspect ratio) places us in a world with steep landscapes. Geo and Leo navigate those difficult ascents and descents day by day. Their life is a constant uphill climb. Theirs is a precarious life. But others have their own uphill battles, as we see in a subplot involving the journalist as he enters into a relationship with an actor in his apartment building. Being gay also puts him on the edge of society, even though he has a respected professional position.

I first saw this last year at AFIFest. It’s interesting that when I recently watched it again, I made almost as many notes as I did with the first viewing—and mostly about other things I was noticing. That speaks to the abundance this film provides at a variety of levels. It is a blend of  emotional, spiritual, visual, and aural components that invites us to consider the lives of those we may see, but not truly see.

Song Without a Name is available on Virtual Cinema through local arthouses.

Photos courtesy of Film Movement.