Dreamspeaker

Claude Jutra's film DREAMSPEAKER(1977) is a typical Canadian made production from the 1970s. Some might take this claim as an insult but what I mean is that it fits in with the low key, humble, non-Hollywood style typical of early Canadian cinema. The film was made by a legend. The Canadian film industry awards its best new director award the Jutra Award, named after Claude. Although DREAMSPEAKER is not Jutra's masterpiece, it's a warm tale of a runaway boy who learns important life lessons from a First Nations elder. The boy is played by a young Ian Tracey who currently stars in the popular Canuck TV series "DaVinci's Inquest". Tracey won Best Actor Gemini for his starring role in "Milgaard" and his series won Best New series at the 1999 Gemini Awards. Although, George Clutesi is not very well known, he has starred in other films( I HEARD THE OWL CALL MY NAME)and is also a poet, much like the other George from the West Coast(Chief Dan). All in all, the film is well worth watching, for young and old alike as the plot spans the generations.

I saw this movie on the CBC's "For The Record" film series back in '77 and it has haunted me to this day. I have a copy of it and watch it every once in a while when I want to relive the story not unlike settling down to a good book. It is a beautiful and horrible story of how society treated people with behaviored problems and institutionalized them for safekeeping without regard to their personal feelings and motivations.

In this story, a young boy is institutionalized for setting fires, a common acting out of personal rage and demands for attention. He is ignored and sent away where he is alone even though he is surrounded by like-minded social misfits. He manages to escape and after a harrowing journey he befriends an old First Nations Elder and his companion who understand and help Peter. But before any chance for transformation is complete society intercedes and sets the stage for a horrible and tragic end.

This film was ahead of its time in that it challenged us to think of how we as a society can reach out and help those people who otherwise would be locked up for the crimes of containing and acting out their fears and rage.