Indian Horse, a movie that pricks the conscience of many in its audience. Another polarized group harmed by the powers that be, the current leaders of the establishment of the era.
About the movies, my opinion; strictly speaking.
We took the luxury of going to the movies over three days to enjoy three movies. Oh! the beauty of retirement! Your days are yours and you can change your plans on a whim. At the movies, one can enjoy an afternoon in total comfort, however, the reclining seats can be deadly to a tired body. That and a boring movie will have one in “deep sleep” in no time!
Indian Horse
The storyline of the movie “Indian Horse” is based on true facts of the treatment and the aggressive efforts on the part of the Catholic Church, to dismantle the Indigenous culture of every child. Residential schools were the tools through which this dismantling was going to happen. They were run by poker-faced nuns and priests with super strict rules, with harsh, ingrained opinions and a penchant for physical brutality. The children were forcefully taken from their parents, or grandparents and taken to these schools cities in northern Ontario and Manitoba. The apprehension, the foreboding and the struggles were clearly reflected in the silent faces of the young, Indigenous people.
The young actor who was the main character was spunky, compassionate and protective of the other children in the school but his anger of their plight grew steadily as he grew older. He obeyed the rules; he was helpful around the rectory, and he tried to please every adult with whom he made contact.
The older version of this “Indian” boy, was much more cunning, street-wise and he surmised successfully that in order to survive, he had to adapt to the white culture, even though it was against everything he believed in. Learning to skate and playing hockey was his salvation.
In the end, he could and would not deny his roots, and this led him back to his tribe and his people.
As a Catholic, and as a Canadian, at times I felt uncomfortable in my skin and in the luxuriant leather seat, trying to make sense out of this brutal bit of history.
I highly recommend seeing this movie, though, as it has its teachable moments and the acting of the three young actors was superb.
What I think, strictly speaking.
