The Grizzlies: Film Review

Cast:Ben Schnetzer, Booboo Stewart, Will Sasso, Anna Lambe, Emerald MacDonald

Director:Miranda de Pencier

Based on a true story and holding back nothing in some of the starker and more shocking moments of teenage life in a deserted area, The Grizzlies is a film that revels in its honesty, but that occasionally dabbles very close to overplaying its hand.

Schnetzer is Russ Sheppard, a young teacher who owes the government and chooses to work at a remote Inuit school. 

"Welcome to the edge of the world, or the end of the world," Sheppard is told early on by a colleague as he rides through the deserted village, with its teen populace gathered in groups and fuelled by a potent mix of alcohol, cigarettes and apathy.

As Sheppard tries to teach his history class, he finds a group of students less interested in his learnings, and more interested in life outside. So Sheppard decides to try and inspire the school by creating a lacrosse team.

But his efforts are initially less than successful...

The Grizzlies is to be commended for its portrayal of isolation, suicide and its use of native language. 

Opening with a shocking sequence, the film clearly sets out its stall early on, and promises to not hold back.

But that promise is squandered with a typical and formulaic film that dips its toes into white saviour territory uncomfortably early on as Howard tries to turn these kids around.

In truth, the story is nothing new - it's Dangerous Minds in some ways but set further up north, and with a dash more bleakness than the streets.

Yet, as it plays out, it does becoming winningly engaging in its formulaic tale of sporting underdogs.

This is more due to the cast of unknowns adding a spikiness to their disaffected teens which ripples through the screen and breaks through the almost oppressively depressing feel of the film.

Schnetzer, complete with his puppy dog enthusiasm, gives a commendable performance from an all too predictable arc, but proves a genuine edge to his teacher when the story heads down familiar tropes. The idea of a naive teacher not attuned to the problem of the kids, and more in touch with his own wants is in many ways, a cliched character.

But Schnetzer just manages to turn Sheppard into a more winning character with which to traverse the terrain.

Equally successful is the mixed cast of natives, who bless the film with a level of belief that saves The Grizzlies from unabashed cliche.

While you can see the problems ahead a mile off, and de Pencier does little to detract from the obvious boiling point, the earnest and honest moments that punctuate The Grizzlies help lift it from a predictable mire to a more subtle film about a group of disaffected teens who turn their own lives around - and for this it's to inspire, and be admired.