BishopAccountability.org
	Directorial Debut Handles Heavy Subject with Humanity By Mari Sasano Edmonton Journal June 4, 2008 http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/culture/story.html?id=81d681e5-b8d1-4824-906d-4f628080ade1 OLDER THAN AMERICA Rating 4 Director: Georgina Lightning Starring: Adam Beach, Georgina Lightning, Tantoo Cardinal When: Canadian premiere tonight at 7, with Lightning in attendance With: World premiere of short film, Honour Thy Father Where: Ziedler Hall at the Citadel Theatre EDMONTON - The horror of the treatment of students at native residential schools has been in the headlines for years. The extent of psychological damage on generations of aboriginal children, taken away from their families to be raised in Christian boarding schools, is almost unimaginable. But even though the last survivors of that system are now growing old, the repercussions of the physical, psychological and sexual abuse are still being felt by the descendants of those who were first victimized. That is the background to Older Than America, the directorial debut of actor/writer Georgina Lightning. But rather than merely dwell on the past, the film makes a strong case for hope and healing by focusing on the children of the last generation of survivors who are now understanding the issue as adults. Rain (played by Lightning) is a young woman working as a teacher in Fond du Lac reserve in Minnesota. She loves her work and her man, Johnny Goodfeather (Adam Beach). But her happiness has been interrupted by nightmares and visions of her mother as a young girl at the now-abandoned Indian boarding school. Rain's mother has been in a psychiatric institution for decades, and the people she cares about the most -- the town's priest (Stephen Yoakam) and Rain's Aunt Apple (Tantoo Cardinal) -- keep telling her not to worry. But Rain can't help thinking that she, too, is succumbing to schizophrenia. Meanwhile, as if in response to her dreams, there has been some unusual earthquake activity centred around the old school grounds, prompting investigation by a curious scientist, much to the dismay of the mayor, who wants to build a resort on the property. Part political suspense, part X-Files-type mystery, Lightning's personal stake in the subject matter gives the film an energy that overcomes some of its rougher edges. There are only a few clumsy moments, mostly given to the earnest geologist as he discovers the local culture, as if to show that white folk are sometimes OK, or the mayor, who is the Evil White Colonialist embodied. But she also makes a point of showing the non-native population working and living respectfully within the reserve without making bold-face commentary about it; those scenes are refreshingly natural. Likewise, not all natives are above reproach, but they too are allowed three dimensions. Lightning, directing herself, is delightfully watchable: intelligent, tough, vulnerable, conflicted. Though Older Than America deals with a very heavy subject, the intent is to begin a dialogue and to respect the humanity of those around us. A willingness to admit problems and mistakes, along with a sense of forgiveness, goes a long way. The short film Honour Thy Father is a great companion piece. An NFB-produced documentary, it follows actor Gerald Auger as he and his family attempt to provide a smudge and drum ceremony for their late father, after being forbidden to add traditional elements to the funeral by the local Anglican minister. An absurd yet touching tale, it's a sign that the relationship between native traditions and Christianity is sometimes still strained.
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