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Home / Essays / TIFF19 review: Kuessipan , a standout Indigenous coming-of-age story

Orla Smith / September 9, 2019

TIFF19 review: Kuessipan , a standout Indigenous coming-of-age story

Myriam Verreault’s Kuessipan is a captivating story about two teenage girls’ friendship on a Quebec Innu reserve. Kuessipan is one of the best acquisition titles at TIFF19. Read our interview with Kuessipan director Verreault here. We also named the film one of the 20 best films at TIFF19.

Kuessipan is now available to stream on VOD in Canada on iTunes, Vimeo, and YouTube.

Sharon Ishpatao Fontaine and Yamie Grégoire in Myriam Verreault's Kuessipan
Still from Kuessipan, Courtesy of TIFF

Myriam Verreault’s Kuessipan is one of the most captivating character dramas at the festival. Mikuan (a stunning lead performance from Sharon Ishpatao Fontaine) is such a compelling character because there’s so much to her: witty, stubborn, loyal, sharply intelligent yet still a naïve and idealistic sixteen-year-old. Kuessipan’s heart is in Mikuan’s relationship with her best friend, Shaniss (Yamie Grégoire). The two of them grew up together in a Quebec Innu reserve; from a young age, they swore to always stick together. Mikuan’s desire to leave the reserve to study in the city, her burgeoning relationship with a white boy, and the stress Shaniss is under as a new mother in an abusive relationship, test the two girls’ bond more than ever before.

Kuessipan, based on a novel, retains many of the pitfalls of book adaptations, with its multiple sprawling narrative turns that distract from the story’s core relationship. But Verreault’s filmmaking is skillful and briskly paced, especially in its tightly edited first act. Her actresses command our attention both in quieter moments and in (sometimes overwrought) slips into melodrama. It’s a coming-of-age story that stands out from the pack for its soulfulness.

Still seeking distribution in the US, UK, and Canada

April 22, 2020 Update: Still seeking distribution in the US and UK

Discover more great Canadian films

The last year was one of the best for Canadian cinema in history. Discover these great films through conversations with the filmmakers, guided by the Seventh Row editors in our inaugural annual book, The 2019 Canadian Cinema Yearbook.

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Filed Under: Canadian cinema, Directed by Women, Essays, Film Festivals Tagged With: Best Acquisition Titles at TIFF19, Canadian cinema, Coming-of-age, Indigenous, Toronto International Film Festival, Women Directors

Orla Smith

Orla Smith is the Executive Editor of Seventh Row, a regular contributor at The Film Stage, and a freelance writer with bylines at JumpCut Online, Cinema Year Zero, and Girls on Tops. In her free time she makes movies.

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