Meadowlarks is a film we should all be talking about, as it explores the vastly different experiences of survivors, all the while paying respect to them in one story.
Meadowlarks is a film that has been on my radar since learning of its existence early this year. I was immediately drawn to the story, one of four Cree siblings, forcibly torn apart during the Sixties Scoop in Canada. The beginning of the film introduces us to the four siblings: Anthony (Michael Greyeyes), Marianne (Alex Rice), Connie (Carmen Moore), and Gwen (Michelle Thrush), as they reunite for the first time in fifty years on a weekend trip in Banff. The story is an important and vital one. Co-written by Emil Shir and Tasha Hubbard, with Hubbard also directing. Meadowlarks is a film that everyone should see. Not only does it shine a light on a horrific and shameful part of Canadian history (and one that is often erased), but it very poignantly tells the story of each of the siblings, giving importance to all of them. Their stories and lives lived individually, and their collective story as siblings learning to be with one another, after a near lifetime apart.
Meadowlarks is director Tasha Hubbard’s first narrative feature; the film is inspired by Birth of a Family, a documentary also directed by Hubbard. And what a (narrative feature) debut it is. Meadowlarks has quickly become one of my favourite films of the year. As soon as we are introduced to Anthony, Marianne, Connie, and Gwen and bear witness to their meeting, the nervous energy is palpable. But there is also a prominent undercurrent of hope and excitement, too. This is one of the things Meadowlarks does brilliantly. When watching the film, there is always a balance of feelings and emotions circulating amongst the siblings, one that can be seen and felt through the screen. You watch as they tiptoe around one another, learning how to navigate each other, their likes, dislikes, etc., as the hours tick by. The pacing of the film, a slower and quieter pace, only aids in effectively communicating this feeling. So much so that as the siblings begin to spend more time with one another, you watch as their bonds grow and all the inner workings of their dynamics do too. Tasha Hubbard does an incredible job of making the film feel very immersive because you really do feel as though you’re right there with them. You, too, feel like you’re in that living room, and it only improves the highly compelling nature of the film.
The script does a very effective job of allowing all of the siblings to share their stories with one another. The trauma they’ve suffered throughout their lives, the dysphoria, isolation, and loneliness they’ve felt and how that has manifested itself, and never really left them. Each sibling is allowed to share their story, and each story is handled with just as much care and importance as the one before it. This is all balanced beautifully with the exchange of small anecdotes with one another. All of it brings us closer to the siblings, as though we are getting to know them, as they are getting to know each other. The more we see of them learning how to be with one another, the more we come to know that one of the things that will help in healing from their past is being with one another.
Meadowlarks is a meaningful, heartfelt, and incredibly important film. With stunning performances from the entire cast and a script that felt nuanced, fluid, and almost play-like in its style and rhythm. It is a film that is not to be missed, and one that will stay with you long after you’ve left the cinema. And really, that’s how it should be. Meadowlarks is a film we should all be talking about, as it explores the vastly different experiences of survivors, all the while paying respect to them in one story. Tasha Hubbard has created one of the most important films of the year, and I implore everyone to sit down and fully immerse themselves in this beautiful, moving, and vital film.
Now playing in theatres.
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