True-life sports tale pulls no punches
The Grizzlies (M, 102 mins) Directed by Miranda de Pencier Reviewed by James Croot ★★★★ In English and Inuktitut with English subtitles.
With only 48 hours to decide where to go after graduating, history teacher Russ Sheppard (Ben Schnetzer) opted ‘‘for the edge of the world’’.
After all, it would only be a year before he’d paid his debt to the government. He could cope with the cold and isolation.
But Kugluktuk is no ordinary place. To his dismay, not only has the sole hockey rink been co-opted for community meetings and dances, but just a few groceries at the only store could cost him hundreds of dollars.
Still, Kugluktuk High School looks nice. Although, despite a warning from fellow educator Mike (Will Sasso) that he’ll be looking after ‘‘an unusual group of scholars’’, Russ isn’t prepared for the lack of enthusiasm, absenteeism and punch to the jaw on his first day.
Then come the cold, hard facts. Kugluktuk and the surrounding Nunavit area has the highest suicide rate in North America.
Domestic abuse is also rife in a hamlet where excess drinking is the norm, and algebra isn’t exactly high on the list of priorities for teens who are expected to learn how to live off a land covered in ice.
However, when an incident between two of his charges ends up on his doorstep and tragedy touches the class, Russ feels he can’t just stand by and do nothing. His solution? Try to give the kids an alternative to their ingrained ‘‘night culture’’, by starting up a sports programme.
Not hockey, but rather Canada’s true national sport – lacrosse. But, while obtaining the second-hand equipment might be easy, persuading the youth to play is another matter entirely.
Based on real-life events from the early noughties, The Grizzlies might follow a predictable ‘‘inspirational teacher-coach’’ narrative, but its willingness to address the sometimes grim realities of those living in the windswept, isolated frozen north means its story packs a punch which it most certainly doesn’t pull away from.
In a way, it feels most like Dangerous Minds, but without Michelle Pfeiffer or the Hollywood gloss.
Director Miranda de Pencier, previously best known for playing Josie Pye in the beloved 1980s Anne of Green Gables mini-series, does a fabulous job in her first feature film of balancing feelings of authenticity and uplift, ensuring there are equal amounts of heartwrenching and heartwarming moments.
While Schnetzer (The Book Thief) is a likeable enough lead, de Pencier and screenwriters Moira Walley-Beckett (Breaking Bad) and Graham Yost (Justified) ensure he’s only part of the story.
Instead, the focus is just as much on the Inuit young people, impressively played by a cast of mostly non-actors from all around Nunavit and surrounding regions. Anna Lambe, Emerald MacDonald and Ricky Marty-Phataykan deliver particularly eye-catching performances.
Not an easy watch at times, de Pencier ensuring we’re further immersed in the tale through extensive use of point-of-view shots, tight framing and handheld camerawork, The Grizzlies isa well-crafted, sensitively executed drama that is well worth seeking out.