Run Woman Run

Last night I attended a preview screening of "Run Woman Run" in a huge Brantford, Ontario theatre. Beforehand, two of the indigenous musical artists on the soundtrack performed songs from the score. Wow! The movie was shot in 2019 on Six Nations territory less than 10 minutes from here.

The best films take you to places you've never been. Although it is set in their lands and acted by indigenous people, the story is universal. Still, its foundation is in a culture that is new for many, including me. It centers on a 30 something woman and her journey to improve from the inside out. The relationships felt real and the film was filled with equal measures of laughter and tears. A well-acted, highly polished film from its writer/director Zoe Leigh Hopkins. Its Canadian theatrical premiere is March 25, 2022 in London, Toronto and Hamilton. After that, the rest of North America could well follow. Will also be available as a streaming offering on Crave in the not too distant future. Catch it if you can. Highly recommended.

Such an a great story line with laughs and a heart felt ending. Such a beautiful depiction of every day life struggles especially in Indigenous culture. Love the all Indigenous cast too! Would see again and again. Hope I can purchase a copy one day.

Saw this yesterday at one of our local indy theaters, and enjoyed it. As far as I could tell, virtually every cast member was Indigenous -- and all filmed on the Six Nations reserve which is just a short drive away from us, so it had a very local feel. The most recognizable face in the cast is good old Lorne Cardinal, who's expert at turning in understated, likable, open performances, but everyone else fit in just fine. The movie really centers single-mindedly on Beck (Dakota Ray Hebert) and her deeply personal journey. It's all low-key and built out of scenes and settings that could not be any more ordinary and everyday, but what's at stake here is nothing less than the very core of her being: that is, salvation. I think that's part of the message that director Zoe Hopkins was getting across. (That didn't really hit me till afterward. Major transformations in a person's life aren't usually accompanied by a big Hollywood-ish splash.)

To drive home the point, Beck has a guide seen only by her, which is the spirit of long-dead Tom Longboat, the famous marathon runner. He's otherworldly by definition, but also (just like the rest of it) resolutely down-to-earth, which is enjoyably contradictory. Kind of like the amiable conversations young Lisa has with dead people in 'Monkey Beach' (2020).

All in all, a small-scale family-centered story with strong undertones.

Very funny but also inspiring. Just an all around feel good movie. And really loveable characters. Very cool that it was filmed in the reserve closest to us. Enjoyed learning about the beautiful Mohawk language and spirituality. Also loved seeing Tom Longboat come up in a film - he deserves so much more recognition - a film of his own, really. So glad we went to see it. Going again next week! 😊

Very well acted and touching story. One of the best of 2021 for me thus far.