Rustic Oracle

Rustic Oracle is a Canadian drama film, directed by Sonia Boileau and released in 2019.[1] An exploration of the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, the film stars Lake Kahentawaks Delisle and Carmen Moore as Ivy and Susan, the younger sister and mother of missing teenager Heather (Mckenzie Kahnekaroroks Deer), who embark on a trek to find Heather themselves due to a lack of action on her case by the police.[2]

Rustic Oracle
Directed bySonia Boileau
Produced byJason Brennan
Written bySonia Boileau
StarringCarmen Moore
Lake Delisle
Music byAlain Auger
CinematographyPatrick Kaplin
Edited byRandy Kelly
Production
company
Nish Media
Release date
  • September 29, 2019 (2019-09-29) (VIFF)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The film's cast also includes Kevin Parent, Margo Kane, Alex Rice, Brittany LeBorgne and Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs.

The film, Boileau's second feature film after Le Dep (2015) but her first English-language feature, was shot in 2018, primarily around Oka and Kanesatake, Quebec.[3] The film's title derives from its use of the dandelion as a recurring motif; according to Boileau, "The dandelion is perceived as a weed when actually it’s the strongest of all the flowers. It contains powerful medicine, and it’s viewed as a magical thing that will carry your wishes and memories into the wind when you blow on it. So it’s all about how we perceive someone versus how they actually are."[4]

Distribution

The film premiered at the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival.[5]

It was originally slated for commercial release on March 27, 2020, but its release was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[4] It continued to screen on the online platforms of film festivals, and had several weeks of commercial screenings in Canadian cities after theatres were reopened in the summer.[4] It has since been released to numerous video on demand platforms, both in Canada and internationally.[6]

Awards

Boileau received a nomination for the Directors Guild of Canada's DGC Award for Best Direction in a Feature Film in 2020.[7] Delisle and Moore both won acting awards at the 2019 American Indian Film Festival, and the film won the awards for Best Picture and Best Lead Performance by a Female (Moore) at the 2020 Leo Awards.[5] Carmen Moore won the award for Best Actress from the Vancouver chapter of the ACTRA Awards.[8]

References
  1. T'Cha Dunlevy, "Quebec film a family drama about missing and murdered Indigenous women". Montreal Gazette, August 21, 2020.
  2. Virginie Ann, "Rustic Oracle hits movie theatre". The Eastern Door, August 19, 2020.
  3. "'Rustic Oracle' explores MMIWG movement through a child's eyes". CTV Montreal, August 18, 2018.
  4. Lynn Saxberg, "Gatineau filmmaker's first feature-length movie humanizes MMIW issue". Ottawa Citizen, November 13, 2020.
  5. Daniel Taylor, "Film that explores themes of missing Indigenous women to screen in Kelowna". Kelowna Capital News, September 21, 2020.
  6. Lynn Saxberg, "Film briefs: Gatineau filmmaker's debut picked up for international release; Ottawa adventure film fest screens audience faves". Ottawa Citizen, January 26, 2021.
  7. "Directors Guild of Canada reveals feature, doc and short film nods". RealScreen, September 22, 2020.
  8. "John Cassini and Carmen Moore Among Winners of 9th Annual UBCP/ACTRA Awards". Broadway World, November 22, 2020.
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