MONKEY BEACH IS TO TEACH

Grace Dove as Lisa

Charming its way into the Toronto International Film Festival and now the Calgary International Film Festival is Loretta Todd’s adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel Monkey Beach by Haisla-Heiltsuk author Eden Robinson.  After 20 years since it was written, director Loretta Todd has been working on this for the past decade and it has finally come to full circle.  Todd being Metis-Cree herself was told about this book which is important in Indigenous cultures and taught in the school system.  Gillian Darling, who was a producer working on documentaries for the National Film Board at the turn of the century, told Todd that her filmmaking was like that of Robinson’s writing.  Darling suggested that Todd should read Monkey Beach which quickly became her passion project.

Monkey Beach focuses on a Haisla woman named Lisa, played by Grace Dove, who is called upon to return to her family who is in need of her.  Things are not going they way Lisa planned as she wakes up from a night of drinking in her East Vancouver apartment.   She is spoken to by her dead cousin Tabitha, played by Sera-Lys McArthur that she should return to her hometown in Kitimat, B.C. where she would detox herself and get rid of all the poisons that are in her.  When she does make that move back home everyone becomes so happy including her brother Jimmy, played by Joel Ouelette, her mother, played Stefany Mathias, and her father Albert, played by Nathaniel Arcand.  No one is happier than Ma-Ma-Oo, played by Tina Lamemam, who has mentored Lisa as a child and reminds her of this great gift she has during this homecoming.

There is great chemistry in the scenes between Lisa and Ma-Ma-Oo especially when she is younger.  Her powers of seeing and feeling ghosts and spirits and being able to have recurring visions of the future are what Ma-Ma-Oo is trying to teach throughout the stages of her life.  She has this recurring vision of her brother drowning ever since she was younger.  It’s up to Lisa to come face head on with the vision and protect her brother by all means necessary.

This Haislan mysticism is all done through the traditional method of Indigenous storytelling.  It’s important for Lisa to reclaim that power and become resilient as a grown up Indigenous woman.  Lisa had problems with substance abuse which broke down her spirit back in her city life in Vancouver.  Being with her family and recalling all those memories with Ma-Ma-Oo should set her on the right path especially in a time where the oppressors are not good to the people and to the land.  It’s sounds logical but it needs to be said.

Grace Dove as Lisa and Tima Lameman as Ma-Ma-Oo

Her Uncle Mick, played by Adam Beach, provides much comic relief to the film and is a significant part of Lisa’s upbringing as well as her brother Jimmy.  When Lisa gets into a lot of trouble at school for being rebellious, there are times when Uncle Mick has to stand in for Lisa’s parents.  When the principals of the school tell Uncle Mick that Lisa is in the wrong, Uncle Mick does shrugs it off and says, ”Fuck the oppressors.”  This is the teaching lesson that is so crucial to both Jimmy and Lisa to identify those who oppress and bring awareness of the history of colonization of Indigenous people especially the Haisla community.  Monkey Beach could have not select a better time to premiere at film festivals as you can see that this oppression is just as important as the ones that have blown up during this pandemic.

Knowing the source of her powers, Lisa has to balance her good and bad visions and use it to understand her family’s tradition and to sustain that identity.  The film is rather a feel good story to show that the Haisla community prioritizes their family and their happiness and it sets an example.  It’s not all happy and positive in Monkey Beach as you see Lisa experience tragedy  but it’s done in a good light against the jaw dropping Pacific Northwest backdrop.  Monkey Beach is a different narrative that doesn’t leave the audience helpless but rather helps them grow to appreciate the beauty of the Haisla community and for any other oppressed community.  Their unique traditions, values and folklore can help us survive in the difficult times that we are experiencing today.

www.monkeybeachmovie.com