A Pequena Guerreira

It is a REALLY good movie.

The child/adolescence point of view is well worked, and, although Beans, her family and other characters did not exist, the Oka situation was real, and was one of the many ugly (to say the list) faces of Canada/Quebec.

But, please, keep in mind that the Oka trouble took place in 1990, and the Mohawks involved hadn't politics, money and other ideologies in mind.

They just wanted their sacred ground to be respected.

Exactly the opposite of some groups nowadays.

So, if have stomach to see some ugly scenes of violence and discrimination against peacefull people, watch it.

This is an interesting movie as it blends a few things together while being set during a real life event. Apparently in 1990 there was almost a war between 2 tribes and the province of quebec. Never heard of it until now, but it is real.

Beans which is the nickname for the main character (because her name is not pronounceable - running joke of the movie) navigates this period with her family as she tries to sort her social life and future school priorities. It is part coming of age movie, part canadian WACO documentary, part adventure movie, part drama.

It blends it all well. There is some usage of original footage of the actual confrontations and then they filmed some parts fresh to show the stand offs. It is impossible to merge the two seamlessly so the original archive footage stands out awkwardly, but does add a nice touch to the realism i would say. I know what they were trying to do and I appreciate the effort. Overall it works.

The acting is good from everybody, i just wish the parents were more involved. It seems they rushed through their scenes quite obviously and it makes the father mother rapport dry and unconvincing, especially in light of what is going on.

The movie does have a few darker scenes which i was surprised they went with, and i don't want to spoil what they are - but obviously they went for realism and it worked. It gives the movie a more serious tone for sure but perhaps could have gone deeper into it. It really needed another 30 minutes of runtime to polish all the scenes they put in. Scenes were great as i said they covered a lot of topics and issues, just feels really rushed on all corners.

7\10 the war you never heard of.

As an American aware of our troubled past with Native American history and the founding of our nation, I was not as familiar with Canada's own racist background.

Surrounding the real life standoff between the government and the native population of Quebec around the construction of a golf course on Indian burial ground is the backdrop of a parellel story of a young girl growing up in the midst of chaos.

Kiawentiio is the actress in the lead role and she is magnificent in the part. Her hard driving mother only wants the best for her, including her attendance at a mostly white school.

She meets a neighbor who attempts to toughen her up and they form an unlikely friendship.

I recommend this film as a good educational tool and for the lead performance.

In both the storytelling and performances "Beans" is packed full of tenderness and heart wrenching moments. It captures the Mohawk experience of this conflict through the eyes of a young girl who is simultaneously trying to navigate young adulthood. Beautifully done and highly recommended.

Set against the backdrop of the Oka crisis, Beans is a respectful Mohawk teenager applying to go to an exclusive private school. She tries to find her way with new friends as the external situation heats up around her.

It's a compelling coming of age story and a compelling true history story. It's the marrying of the two that the film does struggle from time to time. It feels like the movie is trying to hit all the points of the crisis. Each incident is specifically linked to the real world footage. I don't know if this is based on a real person. I do sense a writer connecting the dots of the story. Beans is a compelling character and she has quite a personal journey. This is a compelling film.