Marina Antunes [Celluloid 09.27.12] drama



One Canadian title that premiered at TIFF with relatively little fanfare is Anita Doron's The Lesser Blessed. An adaptation of Richard Van Camp's acclaimed novel, it's the story of Larry, a Native teen with a troubled past which includes family tragedy, abuse and gasoline sniffing that now results in the occasional blackout. Larry also has "a quick tongue, hallucinations, an appreciation for Iron Maiden, and hot fantasies about Juliet Hope, the school tramp." His life takes a turn for the better when me befriends Johnny, a teen from another Nation, who helps him get past the bad times and see a possibly happy future.

Stories of Native youth aren't common so it's great to see a movie that focuses on growing up in a culture that is often misunderstood, especially a movie that looks as fantastic as this one. The trailer for Doron's film is absolutely gorgeous and though I didn't love Late Fragment, the last movie I saw from the director, I do love that she's a filmmaker willing to take chances and in this case, it looks like the resulting movie is a success.

You might also like