The Grizzlies

I had planned on seeing a few more new releases over the weekend but I basically crashed (which really means that I spent the entire weekend reading Midnight Sun).  Yesterday I finally got my act together and saw The Grizzlies (which is technically not a new release because it was screened in Canada in 2019 but it has just been released in the U.S.).  I love a good inspirational sports movie and this true story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming!  Russ Sheppard (Ben Schnetzer) takes a job as a history teacher at Kugluktuk High School in Nunavut, a sparsely populated territory in northern Canada.  He plans to stay just long enough to pay his college debt to the government before moving on to a prestigious prep school.  It is a difficult job because the mostly Inuit students don't have any hope for the future (the suicide rate is extremely high) and they don't trust a white man who doesn't understand their culture.  Sheppard decides to start a lacrosse team to give the students an outlet for their frustrations but many of them must overcome difficulties in order to play:  Zach (Paul Nutarariaq) struggles to find enough food for himself and his younger brother, Adam (Ricky Marty-Pahtaykan) is the grandson of an Elder who is afraid he will lose his culture if he goes to a white school, and Kyle (Booboo Stewart) is physically abused by his angry father.  They ultimately overcome almost insurmountable odds to compete at the U19 Canadian Championships in Toronto with an outcome that was unexpected but incredibly powerful (I was pretty much crying through the final act).  This features many sports movie tropes, including the ubiquitous training montage (although this one features drills in the snow with native drums and chants underneath it), but what sets it apart from other sports movies is a poignant look at the harsh realities faced by First Nations people.  All of the performances are really affecting but I was especially impressed with Stewart for his vulnerability.  Despite serious themes of suicide, domestic abuse, and alcoholism there are some funny fish-out-of-water moments with Sheppard (I particularly related to him trying to call the roll with all of the difficult to pronounce names) and an endearing scene where the boys first see the big city of Toronto (it was fun to see the familiar landmarks).  I loved this movie and I would highly recommend seeing it if you have the opportunity.

Note:  One of the best parts of the movie is seeing what all of the real characters are doing now.