The Lesser Blessed
(Canada, 86 min.)Written and directed by Anita Doran
Starring: Joel Nathan Evans, Benjamin Bratt, Kiowa Gordon, Chloe Rose, Tamara Podemski, Adam Butcher

Larry spends most of the time trying to fit in with the
other students in his class at the aptly named R.V. Camp High. Tensions abound
between the indigenous students and the white kids, especially between Larry
and the local jock whom he dubs “Moose Dick.” When he’s not hiding from Moose
Dick, Larry pines for Moose Dick’s girlfriend, Juliet (Chloe Rose). In
addition, when racial tensions aren’t dividing the kids or preventing them from
falling in love, all the students at R. V. Camp High like to comingle and
rowdily guzzle cheap booze and smoke some drugs.
Whether it’s simply the monotony of the grey northern
landscape or a burgeoning trend in the recklessness of youth, the kids of RVCH
desperately need care. Particularly so are kids like Larry, who are tormented
by violence and intimidation, both from their peers and from their own family.
As Larry copes with drugs and finds himself in a tailspin, writer/director
Anita Doran crosscuts to flashbacks that show him as a victim of abuse at the
hands of his father. Larry’s past reveals the lateral violence rippling through
families and Native communities. Rooted in the legacy of Canada’s residence
school system, this history of violence has crippled a group of students who
were born into a generation struggling to heal their wounds.
The Lesser Blessed
intertwines myth and folkloric imagery into Larry’s reawakening, and the crows
and wolves to which the film cuts have considerable resonance. The film also
feels firmly rooted in realism (to steal a phrase from Ms. Monk), and The Lesser Blessed fills its cast with
newcomers in addition to strong veterans such as Tamara Podemski and a notable Benjamin Bratt. The Lesser Blessed might be a bit heavy
in its realization of such weighty subject matter and the drama itself might
not be as rich as its message, for the film asks Evans to carry a bit too much
of the weight for a first time performer. Nevertheless, The Lesser Blessed makes an invaluable step forward in terms of
onscreen representation needed to aid the healing process.
Rating: ★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
The Lesser Blessed opens in Toronto on May 31 at Cineplex Yonge and Dundas.
It opens in Ottawa June 7 at Empire Kanata.