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Falls Around Her

Directed by Darlene Naponse
Canada, 2018 (fiction, 100 minutes, colour, English / Ojibway)
Falls Around Her
Image: © Photon Films

Film Description:
"Mary is a renowned Anishinaabe musician who comes home to Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation in northern Ontario, exhausted by many years on the road touring internationally with her band. She returns to the land to restore herself but her past success makes her a commodity to some, and it can be tricky to hide from the demands of the outside world. Her sister Betty (Tina Keeper) senses there may be more to Mary's need for isolation and urges her to reconnect with family and old friends. As Mary gets out more and even starts dating, it seems as though new possibilities are on the horizon. However, the past has a way of catching up, and when Mary starts to hear disturbing noises around her cabin, she becomes paranoid that someone may be after her. Writer-director Darlene Naponse brings a unique perspective to the screen that beautifully captures the nuance and rhythms of northern life on a small Anishinaabe First Nation. Acclaimed Métis actor Tantoo Cardinal [...] embodies both strength and vulnerability in the leading role as Mary, a self-sufficient woman who knows that gut instincts should be trusted. In spite of the trauma in Mary's past, Naponse refuses a narrative of victimhood, and instead explores the multiple facets of resilience. Mary knows how to survive, but she also deserves to thrive. And that means gathering the ability to be open to the healing that comes from love, self-expression, family, community, and, especially, the land."
-- Danis Goulet (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Written by: Darlene Naponse
Produced by: Darlene Naponse, Jamie Manning, Simone Urdl, Jennifer Weiss, Christine Haebler, Tammy McGregor, Tammy Naponse, Deborah Marks
Principal Cast: Tantoo Cardinal, Tina Keeper, Gail Maurice, Johnny Issaluk, Rob Stewart, J.D. Nicholsen, Hope McGregor
Cinematography: Ray Dumas
Film Editing: Teresa De Luca
Music: Julian Cote
Production Company: The Film Farm
(sources)

Notes about Falls Around Her

(sources)

Quote about Falls Around Her

"I had worked with Darlene [Naponse] when she was doing her first feature film. I had seen her work and had a sense of where she was coming from in terms of story and her work in the medium of film as storytelling. When she proposed the idea [for Falls Around Her] I trusted that whatever she was going to write was something that I would be interested in [...]."
-- Tantoo Cardinal (source)

Web Sites about Falls Around Her


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