#TIFF22: “WE ARE HERE”

By Justin Waldman

The issue with Anthologies is that there is always a weak link or two in an otherwise strong chain. Sometimes the Anthologies get to overcome that curse, and others they fall victim to the tragedy of this circumstance. We Are Still Here shares nine Directors and ten Writers that help tell the stories spanning 250 years, sometimes even in the future, about a celebration of native land being colonized and the native inhabitants being invaded.

There is a lot to love and appreciate throughout the ninety minutes of We Are Still Here, including some brilliant animation and stop motion. However, on the same note there are segments of the Anthology that unfortunately fall drastically short and go on a little too long and lose the intensity that the Movie has set up for it. There are eight stories that are interweaved, all focusing on the colonization that started 250 years ago from Captain James Cook unwanted arrival in the South Pacific. Each story tries to convey its message in a variety of mediums, some more successful than others.

The largest issue with We Are Still Here, and Anthologies as a whole is when something that isn’t as captivating as the other stories get just as much screen time if not more, and they’re the least captivating parts. The Animation and Stop Motion animated segments were truly the highlights of the entire Anthology and starting off with a stop motion that sets up the entire Anthology as an overarching story of Colonialism has a very jarring and provocative way to get that across. We Are Still Here gives a voice to the indigenous filmmaking community to express the challenges of their past and present.

WE ARE STILL HERE screens at TIFF ’22 as follows:

Sunday September 11th at 3:45 pm at Scotiabank theatre
Wednesday September 14th at 8:30 pm at Scotiabank theatre
Thursday September 15th at 10 am on TIFF Digital at home
Sunday September 18th at 3:35 pm at Scotiabank theatre