Not to inundate the U.S. readers with Canadiana films, but I go in order of what I watched. So forgive me. This film, an older film now, is based on the characters of several W.P. Kinsella novelettes. That's right, the same W.P. Kinsella who wrote Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa which became "Field of Dreams" starring Kevin Costner.
Now given that I had great parents who encouraged me to be as much of a bibliophile as a cinephile, I read a few W.P. Kinsella stories predominantly The Fencepost Chronicles and The Moccasin Telegraph. The characters Kinsella revisits are also the stars of this film being Silas Crow (changed from Silas Ermineskin in the stories) and Frank Fencepost. Not knowing how politically correct such subject matter would be considered in this hypersenstive world of today, I do remember fondly enjoying the exploits of Silas and Frank in rural Alberta (which is changed to near Toronto in the film).
The story is simple enough (spoilers ahead though!!), Silas and Frank welcome a friend, Gooch, who is recently released from prison after serving a three year stint. The film initially plays out as a simple "day in the life" of Silas and Frank on the reserve (introducing other memorable characters from the books as well like Sadie, Silas' on and off again girlfriend). One night at the bar, while Frank and Silas are up to their shenanigans, one of their female friends leave with a white guy. Cut to the next morning while Frank and Silas are nursing their hangovers on boat ride, they find their friend dead under a bridge. So begins the real story of vengeance on the reserve and the journey's each of the characters take.
The film has a lot of humour in it, and I guarantee you've probably all seen some of the actors in some capacity or another, notably Frank Fencepost who is played wonderfully by Adam Beach. Adam Beech is next to appear in Jan Favreau's Cowboys and Aliens, but he has also appeared in films such as Windtalkers and Flags of Our Fathers. The film's real charm lies in the quiet dramatic moments. Subtlety taking precedence over the bluntness of contemporary drama, and how even with humour there lies a dynamic level of depth and gravity to some scenes that can be very nearly painful.
I found myself enjoying these characters immensely, and though I never watched the resultant TV series, The Rez, I can see how the show led to the series. The lives of these characters don't end at the credits. Some films you feel content that the story has been told and that is suffice, whereas others, like Dance Me Outside, the characters are rich enough that they continue on.
The good: The nuances of life on the reserve. The delicate balance of celebrating cliché and avoiding exploitation. The richness of the characters. And the music! Great music!
The bad: One little thing irked me, and it was a plot detail concerning Silas' sister and her meeting with Gooch while her white husband was trying desperately to gain the approval of Silas and others from the reserve. Her actions, while I get the intention behind them, don't really make them acceptable in my eyes, and immediately made her an unsympathetic character.
Final Thoughts: A very decent film. A very Canadian film, but that shouldn't scare of any Yanks that may find this on television sometime in the future. Give it a try.
Add to the vault: I don't feel it needs to be added to the vault. It does make me want to find the old stories and give them a re-read though. Which is more than of a credit to how good the show is then one might think.
Oh right, seeing as I dropped the ball on the last few reviews... here is the trailer for Dance Me Outside. Enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment