Kuessipan

A coming-of-age tale set in an Innu village in Québec, Myriam Verreault’s wonderfully realized drama focuses on Mikuan (Sharon Fontaine-Ishpatao) and Shaniss (Yamie Grégoire), two friends-for-life whose circumstances are very different: Mikuan lives comfortably with her loving family and dreams of being a writer in the city, while Shaniss—already a teen mother—has a much harder go of things. As life choices throw their friendship into disarray, their love for one another is sorely threatened…

‘On top of the film’s electric storytelling, Fontaine-Ishpatao and Grégoire’s performances are raw and unflinching, and manage to adhere you to them in such a powerful way that at times it feels like you’re infringing on their privacy. It’s rare to feel as connected to film characters as you will to Mikuan and Shaniss, and it’s rarer still to feel so attached that you’re sad to leave them. “Kuessipan” is quiet and mesmerizing and tragic and full of hope. It is a triumph, and a privilege to spend time with.’—Anne T. Donahue, Globe and Mail