The talk of the impact of residential schools in Canada is usually limited to brief news coverage and occasional documentaries. Rhymes for Young Ghouls presents the ongoing impact of generational abuse from residential schools in a fiction film.
Writer-director Jeff Barnaby takes the audience back to 1969 where we meet Aila who has an intact family of mother, father, and younger brother. Drugs, alcohol, and a tragic accident take its toll on the family. The story jumps ahead to 1976 where Alia (Miika Whiskeyjack, then Devery Jacobs) is now a teenager.
Alia runs the family's drug-dealing business with her Uncle Burner (Brandon Oakes). Her goal is to avoid the residential school, so she tries to take the drug money to make Popper, who runs the school, look the other way.
Her father comes back into the picture. He took the blame for Alia's mother accidentally running over Tyler, her brother. Her mother commits suicide over her son's death.
At one point, Alia gets caught. Her long braids get caught off. This might seem a small detail but the braids are significant within her culture.
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Devery Jacobs is commanding at the teenage version of Alia. Jacobs was nominated for Best Actress for a Canadian Screen Award. You might have seen Jacobs in The Sun at Midnight and the TV series Mohawk Girls. Jacobs was a 2018 TIFF Rising Star.
Barnaby tells a really harsh story in ways that are compelling. Factoring in that while this look is harsh, the story reflects events that happened to indigenous people at the time.
Alia recognises from how the residential schools impacted her parents and uncle that she needs to avoid that world at all costs. Her world becomes a way to figure out who and how long she can trust people. The film shows us that survival is not easy.
Film is such a reminder to learn about other worlds. If this isn't your world, you will be informed and captivated by Rhymes for Young Ghouls.
Rhymes for Young Ghouls is available in the United States via Amazon Prime.
video credit: YouTube/Movieclips Indie
photo credit: Rhymes for Young Ghouls film
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