 Director: Julian Brave Noise, Cat Emily Kassie Studio: National Geographic Genre(s): Documentary Rated: R (For some language) |
Movies like "Sugarcane" are difficult to review because while I sympathize with the victims in the film, I am not impressed with the filmmaking at hand. If this was fiction, I would complain that the movie felt stagey, lacked a compelling narrative, and failed to help audiences understand the pain behind the horrible situation it was presenting. That it feels like all of these and yet is a documentary is even more of a rebuke of the filmmaking. While it is human nature for us to care about injustices in the world, when it comes to putting a movie together you can't hope that the terrible situation is enough to get viewers to care.
Not that "Sugarcane" completely lacks humanity. One of the most powerful scenes involves a grown man telling a priest about the abuse he suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church when he was younger. The man talks about how a priest abused him, and how that priest was not removed but, rather, moved to another congregation. The priest hearing the confession takes it all in with sorrow and even apologizes to the man for how the church handled this bad situation for decades. While one conversation does not wipe away all the years of hurt, there is an understanding between the two men that a great wrong was done, and steps must be taken for the church to seek forgiveness for the past.
Yes, the Catholic Church is coming under fire again for the sexual abuse scandals that were allowed to take place for years. This time we are seeing the reckoning in Canada, where an Indian residential school failed many of its students. The revelations of how deep the problem was is big enough that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even makes a trip to the reservation to discuss the scandal. For the most part, there is a lack of urgency in the process of discussing the scandal. True crime dramas have become big business because there are ways to present a story that is not widely known to people in a way that is both maddening and engaging.
"Sugarcane" passes up the opportunity to do much flash in favor of the victims reading old newspaper clippings and talking about how traumatized everything is for them now that they are adults. In a way, I understand the more intimate approach the filmmakers were going for, however, I never found myself particularly connected to any of the people outside of their unfortunate circumstances. Not only does the situation feel more clouded in mystery with no revelation in sight, but we never spend enough time with the victims, witnesses, or even the officials that we feel any personal connection.
It's a shame because "Sugarcane" is trying to do something important. The filmmakers want justice for the victims (as do we). But at more than an hour and a half, the most drags more than it should. National Geographic is the producer of the movie, and someone at the top should have ordered a short film cut, because if the time wasn't going to be used wisely, best for the fat to be removed and turned into a TV special instead of a feature film. Audiences will certainly feel sympathy for the subject matter, but whether they will care beyond the basic human compassion is another matter altogether.
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