267. Wildhood; movie review

 

WILDHOOD

Cert 15

108 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex, domestic abuse

We had never heard of the Mi'kmaq people until three months ago when we toured the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

There we learned, much to our shame, how these native people were treated appallingly by the British after they arrived in Canada.

Indeed, hundreds of years later, they are probably still suffering the fall-out from those early confrontations.

The modern-day Mi'kmaq are key to Bretten Hannam's movie which examines different types of isolation and is set in Nova Scotia.

It stars Philip Lewitski as teenager Link - beaten by his alcoholic father (Joel Thomas Hynes) who insists that his Mi'kmaq mother is dead.

He discovers evidence to the contrary, steeling the courage to set off to find her with his younger half-brother (Avery Winters-Anthony) in tow.

On the way they meet Pasmay (Joshua Odjick), a Mi'kmaq who is attracted to Link and encourages him to explore both his sexuality and cultural roots.

Wildhood should be applauded for its original premise but it is frustratingly slow.

The search for Link's mum faces umpteen hurdles but it is obvious where it is going to lead - ditto, the ultra slow-burn relationship with Pasmay (even his brother becomes so fed up, he insists they just get on with it).

Meanwhile, I found myself needing more details on Mi'kmaq history and why current First Nation people seem so cut off from mainstream society.

But instead, the audience is left with a basic love story and an important quest which is diluted because of its length.

That's a pity because the film has its heart firmly in the right place.

Reasons to watch: Intriguing premise

Reasons to avoid: Slow going

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None 

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? The Mi’kmaq were probably the people that Italian explorer John Cabot first encountered in 1497. They were among the first indigenous peoples to accept Jesuit teachings and to intermarry with the settlers of New France. In the 17th and 18th centuries the Mi’kmaq were allies of the French against the English, frequently traveling south to raid the New England frontiers.

The final word. Bretten Hannam: "Parts of it are stories taken from my life. And then other parts are guided by the community, specifically working with the Wabanaki Two Spirit Alliance. Just contributing to a cultural perspective, a language perspective, because there’s a decent amount of language in the Mi’kmaw language in the movie." On The Record

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