I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Matt Skube to talk about the new releases in theatres, including the adventures of “Supergirl,” the jackassery of “Jackass: Best and Last” and the drama of “Blood Lines.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with guest host Andrew Pinsent to talk about the new movies coming to theatres including the adventures of “Supergirl,” the jackassery of “Jackass: Best and Last” and the drama of “Blood Lines.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to brush your teeth. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the adventures of “Supergirl,” the jackassery of “Jackass: Best and Last” and the drama of “Blood Lines.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Blood Lines,” a new family drama now playing in theatres, an estranged Métis mother and daughter’s attempt at reunion are thrown into disarray when a woman arrives in their community looking for her biological family.
CAST: Gail Maurice, Tamara Podemski, Dana Solomon, David Webster, Melanie Bray, Derica Lyn Lafrance, Margaret Maurice, Mary Burnouf, Bertha Durocher, David Webster, Michaela Washburn, Ryan G. Hinds,
REVIEW: A study of cultural belonging, “Blood Lines” is a powerful, if uneven, look at reconciliation and healing.
Set in the tightly knit Métis community of Wapamon Sipi, “Blood Lines” focusses on Beatrice (Dana Solomon) a Two-Spirited storyteller, local newspaper reporter and Eager Beaver store clerk. Her quiet life is upended when two women appear in her life.
First is Léonore (Gail Maurice), Beatrice’s estranged mother, who shows up after years away looking for a place to live.
“You can’t stay here,” Beatrice tells her.
“I’ll stay in the shack with my dogs,” says Léonore.
“Suit yourself.”
Around the same time Chani (Derica Lafrance) arrives in town looking for information on her biological roots. “It’s like a part of me is missing,” she says. “Like I can’t see part of myself.” Beatrice sparks immediately with Chandi and helps her track down her family.
Romance blossoms with Chandi, but Léonore’s return stirs up long buried resentment for Beatrice. “You chose alcohol over me.” As their lives intertwine, issues of intergenerational trauma, identity and the heartbreak of family collide.
With dialogue in both Michif, one of the languages of the Métis people of Canada and the United States, and English, “Blood Lines” authentically captures the intricacies of life in its Métis community which, along with nice, natural performances, grounds the film with a lovely, lived-in vibe. Add to that comic relief from The Grannies (Bertha Durocher, Maggie Maurice and Mary Burnouf), a trio of meddling elder women who provide wisdom and laughs and you have a richly detailed portrait of life in Wapamon Sipi.
A late movie twist, however, doesn’t feel as organic. The turn feels a hair too melodramatic for a movie so based in tangible authenticity.
