Beans (2020 film)
Beans is a 2020 Canadian drama film directed by Mohawk filmmaker Tracey Deer. It tells the story of the Oka Crisis, which Deer experienced herself as a child, through the story of Tekehentahkhwa (nicknamed "Beans"), a young Mohawk girl whose perspective on life is radically changed by the events of the crisis.[4]
Beans | |
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Directed by | Tracey Deer |
Produced by | Anne-Marie Gélinas[1] |
Written by |
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Starring |
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Music by | Mario Sévigny |
Cinematography | Marie Davignon[1] |
Edited by | Sophie Farkas Bolla |
Production company | EMA Films |
Distributed by | Mongrel Media |
Release date | |
Running time | 92 minutes[3] |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
The film premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival,[5] where it was second runner up for the People's Choice Award.[6]
Cast
The cast includes:[1]
- Kiawenti:io Tarbell as Beans
- Paulina Jewel Alexis as April
- Violah Beauvais as Ruby
- Rainbow Dickerson as Lily
- Joel Montgrand as Kania’Tariio
- D’Pharaoh Woon-a-Tai as Hank
- Jay Cardinal Villeneuve as Gary
Production
The story is based on true events that Deer experienced as a child, but she has said she wanted to be careful not to make the film itself a traumatic experience for the people who watch it.[7] Filming took place in Kahnawake and Montreal in 2019.[1] She began writing the script in 2012, which was a long seven-year process, partly because revising the Oka Crisis brought up difficult memories, and she sought out therapy to help her navigate that.[8]
Release
It had its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2020.[5]
It was subsequently screened at the 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival, where it won both the juried award for Best Canadian Film[9] and the audience-voted award for Most Popular Canadian Narrative Film.
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 7.69/10.[10]
The film was named to TIFF's year-end Canada's Top Ten list for feature films.[11]
References
- "Production Underway on BEANS, Directed by Tracey Deer". Canadian Film Centre. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- https://www.tiff.net/events/beans
- "Beans". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- Norman Wilner, "VIFF review: Tracey Deer’s Beans finds its hero coming of age during the Oka crisis". The Georgia Straight, September 16, 2020.
- Victoria Ahearn, "TIFF announces all 50 titles for pandemic-tailored 2020 event". Toronto Star, July 30, 2020.
- "'Nomadland' wins People's Choice Award at Toronto International Film Festival". Canadian Press, September 20, 2020.
- Steuter-Martin, Marilla (22 September 2019). "Tracey Deer captures 'shattered innocence' with film set during Oka Crisis". CBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- Horn, Greg (19 September 2019). "Deer's "Beans" shows Oka Crisis through the eyes of a 12-year-old". Kahnawake News. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- Pat Mullen, "Call Me Human Leads VIFF Winners". Point of View, September 29, 2020.
- "BEANS". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
- Victoria Ahearn, "Toronto International Film Festival releases Top Ten lists for 2020". Squamish Chief, December 9, 2020.
External links
- Beans on IMDb
- Beans at Rotten Tomatoes