A Cree woman, Gwen (Michelle Thrush), drinks a coffee while exploring the AirBnb that her sister Connie rented. Carmen Moore plays Connie, the second of five reunited siblings she found, four of whom decided to show. After fiery Gwen and A-Type Connie, there’s athletic Marianne (Alex Rice) from Belgium and relatively happy Anthony (Michael Greyeyes). Sometimes, they check on their children to talk about how strange the experience is of reuniting with siblings. Things come to a head, though, as Connie reveals that she met their estranged mother before she passed. By being around each other, the titular family in Meadowlarks remembers levels of trauma they experienced.

I can relate to Anthony because I see aspects of myself in him. Obviously, underneath his happy nature are bad memories that happened to him and his siblings who endured the Scoop.

Meadowlarks is, over and under, an ensemble character piece, and the four main actors do commendable jobs together. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about cinematic elements here as visuals and sounds are competent. These actors expel their anger and reach out to each other in what may be the best stage. The AirBnB is in Blackfoot and Nakoda territory with truily beautiful landscapes that exist for cameras to capture. The sound here is great during that scene where Connie’s trying to cross a bridge. The film lets audiences hear the ropes giving but also shows the siblings where are there for her.

Image Credit: Courtesy of TIFF