Highway of Tears

Name: Highway of Tears
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2015-03-06
Duration: 1 h 19 min
Rating: 7.1
Cast: Nathan Fillion, Terry Teegee, Mavis Erickson

2015
1h 19m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

147

YOUR RATING

Since the late 1960s, at least eighteen young women Â— many of them from disadvantaged First Nations communities Â— have disappeared or been found murdered along the 724-kilometre stretch of Highway 16 in northern British Columbia. None of these cold cases were ever solved until 2009, when a special RCMP investigation was able to link DNA from one of the murder victims to deceased US criminal Bobby Jack Fowler; but this single answer has done little to heal the wounds of Aboriginal communities who have seen dozens of their young women vanish along the "Highway of Tears," victims not only of murderous predators but of the systemic racism of a federal government that keeps them trapped on impoverished reservations and, as critics charge, evinced little interest in apprehending their killers. Narrated by Nathan Fillion, Matt Smiley's hard-hitting documentary Highway of Tears not only movingly relates the personal stories of the victims, but investigates how the legacy of generational poverty, high unemployment and endemic violence in their communities contributed to their tragic fates Â— and how contemporary First Nations leaders are striving to cure those ills.

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Documentary

"Highway of Tears" is about the missing or murdered women along a 724 kilometer stretch of highway in northern British Columbia. None of the 18 cold-cases had been solved since 1969, until p... Read all"Highway of Tears" is about the missing or murdered women along a 724 kilometer stretch of highway in northern British Columbia. None of the 18 cold-cases had been solved since 1969, until project E-Pana (a special division of the RCMP) managed to link DNA to Portland drifter, Bo... Read all"Highway of Tears" is about the missing or murdered women along a 724 kilometer stretch of highway in northern British Columbia. None of the 18 cold-cases had been solved since 1969, until project E-Pana (a special division of the RCMP) managed to link DNA to Portland drifter, Bobby Jack Fowler with the 1974 murder of 16 year-old hitchhiker, Collen MacMillen. Why have... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

147

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins total

Videos1

Trailer 2:08

Highway of Tears

Photos5

User reviews2

7.1147

Featured reviews

7gizmomogwai

Necessary attention to an overlooked national tragedy

Made in the last year Canada still had a government refusing to set up an inquiry into the epidemic of missing and murdered Aboriginal women across the country, the documentary Highway of Tears (2015) attempts to shed light on an epicentre of the phenomenon that is still often overlooked. The Highway of Tears is a section of Highway 16, which runs through northern British Columbia, specifically between Prince George and Prince Rupert. Over 40 women have either been murdered or simply vanished there since 1969, yet the cases escaped national and police attention for years. Two serial killers responsible for some of the deaths, American Bobby Jack Fowler and Canadian Cody Legebokoff, have since been identified, but several cases remain unsolved and it seems likely other killers were active in the area.

The documentary Highway of Tears is an attempt to raise the profile of the case/cases, and explore root causes. These include systemic racism, as many of victims have been Aboriginal women, providing a reason why the RCMP and many Canadians assigned no importance to them. The contributing factor of poverty in Aboriginal communities and lack of public transportation is given as a reason why so many men and women hitchhiked and continue to hitchhike there.

Highway of Tears isn't a perfect approach to the issue. It tries to include a lot, sometimes without adequately explaining how some of the issues relate to the Highway of Tears, including residential schools (itself a national shame) and the Robert Pickton case. For all the mention of the individual tragedy, as well, there isn't too much examination of who more of the individual victims were. Despite its title, Highway of Tears is not a tear-jerker, although it's a valid argument that that may not be what they were going for. The doc is, nevertheless, a possible starting point for anyone willing to learn more about the epidemic of tragedy between Prince George and Prince Rupert.

6kevin_robbins

Highway of Tears has a compelling story worth viewing, but better execution could have made it a masterpiece

I recently watched Highway of Tears (2015) on Tubi. The documentary follows a Canadian highway in Native American territory frequently traveled by truckers and people heading to Alaska. Unfortunately, this highway has been the site of numerous unresolved cases of missing and murdered Native American women for decades, with little to no resolution from local police.

Directed by Matt Smiley (For Love), the documentary provides an impressive backdrop and delves deeply into the storyline. There are fascinating subplots about Native American culture, their approaches to life, and thoughts on community. However, the interviewing and editing are inconsistent and could have been significantly better. The presentation of questions, gathering of information, and portrayal of locals could have been much improved.

In conclusion, Highway of Tears has a compelling story worth viewing, but better execution could have made it a masterpiece. I would score this a 6/10 and strongly recommend it.