Hank Williams First Nation (2005)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Aaron James Sorensen

Writer:

Aaron James Sorensen (writer)

Release Date:

4 February 2005 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Life in a remote Indian Reservation is stirred up when one of its Elders begins to question the death of Hank Williams.

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Gordon Tootoosis	...	Adelard Fox
Jimmy Herman	...	Uncle Martin
Stacy Da Silva	...	Sarah Fox
Colin Van Loon	...	Jacob Fox
Bernard Starlight	...	Huey Bigstone
Stephanie Dixon	...	Miss Keating
Gillian Carfra	...	Social worker
Ron Waller	...	Principal Granich
Edna Rain	...	Kookem - grandma
Raymond Carafelle	...	Chief Chicken-Wings
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Allen Belcourt	...	Larcis

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Alberta, Canada

Company:

Peace Country Films

A Film of Wall To Wall Parallels.

At A Theatre Near You! By Larry Chartrand of Lakeland Video Productions

Hank Williams First Nation Comedy Drama, rated PG. 92 minutes in length. A Canadian Film produced in Alberta. Directed by Aaron James Sorensen, starring Stacy Da Silva as Sarah Fox, a grade 12 valedictorian, and Sarah's grandfather, Adelard Fox, played by Gordon Tootoosis.

This movie goes against the Hollywood style and is totally Canadian. Without giving away the story, a boy and his uncle leave their northern Alberta reserve bound for Nashville in search of the truth. Is Hank Williams Senior really dead?

We are drawn into a world of parallels, that is more the focus of this film, than its' title. The different scenes that play out are bundled together with the common theme of young and old, as seen from a native point of view. Hank senior & Hank III, a cow moose with her calf, Adelard raising his granddaughter Sarah, dilapidated vehicles next to shiny new trucks, Sarah yearning for her paternal mother, to name only a few parallels. I was lost at one point in the movie, when about 5 minutes played out in Cree language, with no translation. There was obvious humor, because the Cree audience was laughing, but I had no clue. I later realized, what a brilliant way to make a statement.

The story line itself is solid and develops into a good ending, yet leaves the viewer with a lot of questions. Is Hank senior dead? What happens to the cow moose? Where are the traditions? These truths don't affect every ones lives on the surface, but they are important to individuals. As I said, the real story lies hidden in the parallels. The conflict is between old and new, the modern versus traditional.

This film is fun to watch, will likely get you thinking, and now that you know what to watch for, you can count up how many parallels there are. 3 ½ Stars out of 5.