During the month of March, the TIFF Bell Lightbox offered the chance to see a couple of indigenous Canadian films, which I was eager to experience for the first time.

Slash/Back

Canada | 2022 | 86m | English

Slash/Back is an example of what I imagine must be rare – a horror movie that takes place mostly in the daylight. That’s a result of the arctic Nunavut setting of the film. As a horror movie, I didn’t find any of it to be scary. This is more of a sci-fi adventure tale about its four teen girl protagonists battling against an alien that possess living creatures in their town. One reason why the scares don’t land, unfortunately, is because much of the girls’ acting isn’t particularly convincing. If you want to watch this, you should see it for its unique setting, cinematography, and cool soundtrack. As a horror film, there are many better options available.

1.5/5

What We See

Canada | 2023 | 82m | Inuktitut

This is a movie that left an impression on me. It follows two sisters, one in Montreal and the other in Nunavut, as they communicate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Their conversations deepen as their proximity increases. Early conversions in the film are portrayed as side-by-side Zoom windows. By the time the sisters meet face-to-face, in beautifully shot Nunavut settings, they open up to each other about their childhood trauma. The fictional characters of the movie are inspired by the real-life experiences of the two directors. I would like to revisit this movie some day.

3/5

Grace of My Heart

United States of America | 1996 | 116m | English

Grace of My Heart is apparently inspired by the life of Carole King, but I am not familiar enough with King to be able to comment on how well it manages to be a biopic. To me, this was an entertaining and mostly pleasant movie about the life of a singer-songwriter. The original soundtrack is great to the point that the idea that those songs were hits is believable.

3/5