I knew it was going to hurt, I knew it was going to be emotional and difficult to watch. I had braced myself beforehand, tried to wait until I was in a state where I thought I could watch the film and soak it in and not get too involved. I don't think 'We were children' is something I'll ever be truly ready to watch, and in a way, that's how it should be. I enjoyed the film, I loved it, but it's the kind of love that makes you cry and hate the world and leaves you wishing you knew what it was you had to do, what tangible action you could take, that would make a difference, that would comfort someone who had suffered those atrocities, instead of feeling helpless. (the film can be watched here: https://www.nfb.ca/m/playlists/5628bc597f1642cc93a1f36a33dc_de0c/playback#playlistcontainer) I guess in that sense I should be grateful that teaching is one of the ways we can change people's perspectives, help fix and repair the damaged educational system for First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples, and also open the eye's of Canadians to this terrible, shameful part of our countries past. It does make me angry that there are people who still deny the impact and importance of what happened, and treat Indigenous Canadians as second class citizens who just get handouts. I do wish there had been more warning and discussion about the films contents before watching it. I did read the small explanation/bio on the NFB website, but even that didn't prepare me for the graphic and heavy nature of the film. It's a lot to take in, and part of it's power is the way it portrays the events themselves. I had forgotten, but two of my very close friends, one actually being my best friend, were involved in the filming of We Were Children, Jeremy Benning being the cinematographer, and Jason Vieira the B camera/steadycam operator. I was lucky enough to talk to Jeremy about his experience filming the movie and he shared some interesting insights with me. One thing that I did like hearing, was that the two girls who portrayed Lyna Hart were siblings, and both from the same tribe that Lyna was originally from, and that she actually came to visit them and interact during production. One sad thing about that was the younger girl didn't speak the actual language, so trying to have her speak during the film was difficult. It shows how much of the culture and language has been lost because of Residential schools and how those effects are still reverberating throughout communities. Also, one of the locations they filmed at actually was a former residential school, which is both haunting and interesting, and I can only imagine the feelings the crew and cast must have had going through that process within walls where those kinds of events actually took place. Another interesting part was that casting the younger actor who played Glen was really problematic and took a long time. The reason being that there are so few Indigenous children being sought for acting roles that there really wasn't anyone available. That shows you what our society values and that people who look Indigenous aren't even marketable or desirable unless we specifically need a 'Native child'. The young boy who was actually chosen didn't have any prior acting experience, and I think he did a remarkable job portraying such a hard and complex role. I guess one final note will be that I'm also sad to learn that Lyna Hart passed away this year, and as I'm learning about her now, she seems like she was a powerful, amazing woman, and I'm so glad her story and voice are being heard. When the film first opened, it didn't receive the attention it should have, as both CTV and CBC refused to air it, citing it was too heavy and shocking. But now at least it's also available on Netflix and apparently getting a lot of exposure that way. I definitely started out writing this wanting to just scream and yell and swear. A lot of swearing. I know a lot of other people felt that way as well. And I think that's important. We should be outraged, we should be upset and hurt and furious over what happened, how its been hidden and how its still not "a priority" for a lot of Canadians. I don't want to point out the suffering of others, I don't want to make them into a spectacle, to bring back painful memories, but I'm so glad and appreciative for people like Glen Anaquod and Lyna Hart, who's strength and humanity are humbling and awakening for all of us.
1 Comment
11/3/2015 04:14:57 am
Thanks for the insight into the filming and casting! I am reflecting on your comment around preparing students in advance for the film- something we will discuss this week. I appreciate the statement around yelling and shouting. There are many emotions around this film and although guilt, anger, sadness all surface- it is what next? that is crucial. How are we as educators going to respond to this? How does it play out in our classrooms? What are we going to do with this experience and these emotions?
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