| Written by Dorothy Cummings,
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 I dropped into The Register for a chat and came away with two DVDs to review. They looked depressing, so they sat on a corner of my desk collecting dust and crumbs until I forced myself into a wild bout of documentary watching. Both of them were much more enjoyable than I thought, although one was indeed very sad.
Wild Horse Redemption begins with beautiful footage of wild mustangs galloping over the plains of Utah. American mustang herds have been protected since 1971, and 27,500 can be supported over 10 states. Thousands more are taken from the herds and adopted to prevent overpopulation. Some are trained by inmates in a Colorado prison. The documentary follows five men as they train mustangs, interspersing clips of running mustangs, shots of the prison, interviews and gripping footage of bucking, kicking horses in training. The subtext — that these prisoners are themselves like mustangs — is obvious.
There is little sentimentality in Wild Horse Redemption. We are shown rap sheets, and the prisoners admit their crimes and list their multiple imprisonments. They don’t plead bad childhoods. One even describes a wonderful family and the good life he had before he started taking drugs. The senior staff trainer, a man who seems to know men as well as he knows horses, shakes his head over one of the most stubborn (and talented) horse trainers, Jon. When asked if Jon will keep out of prison, McEnulty says, in his marvellous Western twang, “I don’t know. The odds are kind of against him.”
I enjoyed watching these tough guys having to deal with creatures even tougher and more dangerous than they. Gradually, these men learn respect — for authority, for themselves — and patience. They love their horses, and they treat each other with a rough, joking affection that could land them before a Human Rights Commission up here. (The guy who has to put up with the fat jokes loses 140 pounds through training mustangs.) One prisoner in particular, Brandon Clay, undergoes the most dramatic transformation. When he finally trades his gangsta stocking cap for a cowboy hat, his face is transfigured. He no longer looks like a tired young thug. He looks like a movie star.
Wild Horse Redemption is about men training themselves to stay out of prison. Muffins for Granny is about First Nations elders dealing with the pain of having been to residential schools.
This documentary was written and directed by a talented young First Nations woman, Nadia McLaren, in honour of her grandmother. The film is composed of clips of scenery, home movies, interviews and illustrations. It seems, at first, dull and disjointed. However, once the elders begin to tell their stories, the film commands attention and respect.
Most of the elders do not describe in detail the abuses they suffered in residential schools. Nevertheless, their pain, both resolved and unresolved, is palpable. One elderly woman mourns that the white people just didn’t like them. Another says that she has always been afraid to speak out against the “holy people” for fear God will punish her.
It is clear the elders have been unfairly punished quite enough ―— by both the residential schools and themselves. “The effects of the abuse reverberate through our communities,” says one elder. Alcohol was the usual path to escape the bad memories.
Muffins for Granny is a sharp contrast to Wild Horse Redemption in that the former’s subjects seem like passive victims compared to the latter’s active prisoners. Whereas the men of the first movie are actively bringing about their rehabilitation, some elders blame all their problems on the residential schools.
Alice Littledeer left residential school at 16, started drinking at 40 to deal with a bad marriage, and shot two men in a drunken rage. About the residential schools she said, “Sometimes I think they teach me good, but when I talk to the lawyer, he said, ‘That’s not very good what they teach you, to kill somebody? That’s not very good,’ he said. But today I understood what the lawyer trying (sic) to tell me.” Yeah, me too. Kudos to the director for leaving that in.
Fortunately, other elders in the film are truly inspirational in their stories of taking responsibility to overcome the pain of their childhood experiences and adult mistakes.
Wild Horse Redemption is a fine film for youth groups, high schools and adult classes in social justice or on the theme of forgiveness. Because of the enormity of the accusations made by one of the elders, I don’t think the otherwise excellent Muffins for Granny appropriate for teenagers. However, I think it is crucial viewing for any adult involved in ministry, and for those adults who want to learn about the shameful scandal that was the Canadian residential schools.
Wild Horse Redemption can be purchased online through the National Film Board of Canada or by calling 1-800-267-7710. View Trailer on YouTube [external link]
Muffins for Granny is distributed free of charge by the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. To order, contact M. Jetté at
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. View Trailer on YouTube [external link] | View YouTube Interview with Director Nadia McLaren
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