Rhymes for Young Ghouls

The feature debut of Canadian director Jeff Barnaby, himself born on a Mi’kmaq reservation, is set against the background of the ‘residential schools’ tragedy: for almost a century the children of native Canadians were taken away from their parents, resulting in thousands of broken homes. It later emerged that many of the children at these schools were abused. Or even worse.
In Barnaby’s brutal, hallucinogenic thriller, fifteen-year-old Aila takes over her father’s drug business following his arrest. But the recurring appearance of a sadistic native police officer brings the situation to a head. After she is imprisoned and her father is again arrested, Aila decides to take revenge.
Barnaby does not merely show rage and vengeance, however. The fable of the wolf that consumes its own body, told by one of the characters in the film and referring to the drug trade, makes it clear that destructive forces are not only outside the reservation.

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