The Grizzlies is based on a true story, and is set in Kugluktuk, Nunavut, where an epidemic of suicide is occurring in a community with little hope, and little to do except drink. Teacher Russ Sheppard (Ben Schnetzer) is there to work for a year, as a condition of the aid he received to get through school himself. He arrives completely unprepared, ignorant of any of the local customs, surprised that there are no trees, and astonished at the high prices in the grocery store, where everything has to be flown in. His classroom is half empty, since many of the school age kids either need to work or hunt for their families, or have just given upon school altogether.
Gradually Russ gains the respect of some of the kids, and by introducing them to lacrosse, he gives them something to do that is fun and healthy, and then that brings them together. I expected a sort of Mighty Dicks sort of film, but this is much more. It brings together both the beauty and the tragedy of northern Inuit communities, and somehow presents the horror of teen suicide together with humour and hope.
This was the world premiere of the film, and the audience was clearly full of the cast and crew and their families and friends. That added a lot of extra energy to the experience. The standing ovation at the end was well-deserved. This is one of my favourite films of the festival this year, and I hope it gets a good distribution deal so many more people can see it.
TIFF 2018 Overview
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