''Rhymes for Young Ghouls'' is a 2013 Canadian

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

and the feature-film debut of writer-director

Jeff Barnaby Jeff Barnaby (1976 – 13 October 2022) was a Canadian film director, writer, composer, and film editor. He is known for his horror films '' Rhymes for Young Ghouls'' and ''Blood Quantum''. Early life Barnaby was born on a Mi'kmaq reserve in L ...

. Set in 1976 on the fictional Red Crow

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nort ...

reservation, it takes place in the context of the

Canadian residential school system In Canada, the Indian residential school system was a network of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples. The network was funded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs and administered by Christian churches. The school ...

. Although it tells the fictional story of a teenager named Aila and her plot for revenge, it is based on the history of abuse of the

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

people by government agents, including a large number of reported cases of the mental and physical abuse of residential school children. It is presented from the perspective of a teenage girl.

Plot

The film opens with a brief prologue explaining the history of

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

First Nations children being compelled by law to attend

Indian residential schools In Canada, the Indian residential school system was a network of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples. The network was funded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs and administered by Christian churches. The school sys ...

. In 1969, the prepubescent Aila (Miika Whiskeyjack) lives with her father Joseph (Glen Gould), mother Anna ( Roseanne Supernault) and younger brother Tyler at the fictional Red Crow Indian Reservation, a

Indian reserve. Aila's parents consume drugs and alcohol to cope with the abuse they suffered at St. Dymphna's residential school. Tyler is killed by Anna during a drunk driving incident. The grief-stricken Anna dies by suicide while Joseph takes the blame and is imprisoned. The film fast forwards seven years later to 1976. In her father's absence, the now-teenage Aila (

Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (born August 8, 1993), known professionally as Devery Jacobs, is an Indigenous Canadian ( Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk)) actress and writer. For her performance in '' Rhymes for Young Ghouls'' (2013), she garnered a Canadian ...

) takes over her father's drug dealing business in the care of her uncle Burner (Brandon Oakes), who himself consumes and sells drugs. To avoid being sent to St. Dymphna's school, Aila uses the proceeds from the drug money to bribe the corrupt and abusive

Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...

Popper (Mark Antony Krupa), who runs the school. In flashback scenes, it is show that a younger Popper (Sheamas Graham) was bullied by several Mi'kmaq youths including Burner. A younger Joseph (Muin Gould) comes to his aid but Popper spurns his offer of friendship and develops a hatred for the Indians in the reserve. One day, Aila's drug money is stolen. Her predicament is complicated when her father Joseph is released from prison and returns to the Red Crow Reserve. Relations between daughter and father are initially frayed; Aila resents her father for not being there, while Joseph is unhappy that his daughter is involved in the drug business. Aila and three friends later hatch a plot to break into St. Dymphna's with the assistance of one of the resident boys, Jujijj (Shako Mattawa Jacobs), and steal the required money. However, Burner betrays them to Popper, who arrests Joseph on trumped up property damage charges and sends Aila to St. Dymphna's. During her induction, Aila is shorn of her long braids and imprisoned in a cell. However, she is freed by a local resident boy. Seeking revenge against Popper, Aila and her friends don Halloween costumes and break into St Dymphna's. They free Joseph and steal C$ 20,000 from Popper's office. After escaping, Aila reconciles with her father, who tells her that she is not to blame for the death of her mother and the cycle of abuse that occurred at St Dymphna's. However, Popper catches up with them and knocks Joseph down with a rifle butt. Popper attempts to rape Aila but is shot dead by the local resident boy who freed Aila. To protect the young boy and his daughter, Joseph takes the fall for killing Popper. Gisigu (Stewart Myiow), a friend of her grandfather, becomes her mentor and promises to help steer her away from dealing with drugs. Aila also befriends the young boy who saved her and her dad from Popper.

Cast

The cast of the film includes:

Production

Prospector Films of Montreal produced the film, which was shot from 21 October to 22 November 2012.

Release and reception

''Rhymes for Young Ghouls'' had its world premiere at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

on 9 September 2013. Its first theatrical release was on 31 January 2014 in Toronto. The film has inspired the creation of The Aila Test, a litmus test used to analyze representation of indigenous female characters.

Awards

References

External links

Official website
* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhymes for Young Ghouls 2013 films 2013 directorial debut films 2013 drama films 2013 independent films Mi'kmaq-language films Canadian Film Centre films Canadian independent films Canadian teen drama films English-language Canadian films Films directed by Jeff Barnaby Films set in 1969 Films set in 1976 Works about residential schools in Canada 2010s Canadian films