Sugarcane

2024

Documentary

11
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 100% · 66 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 80% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.0/10 10 3451 3.5K

Plot summary

An investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school in Canada ignites a reckoning on the nearby Sugarcane Reserve.

Director

Top cast

Jean William as Self - Survivor, St. Joseph's Mission
Larry Emile as Self - Survivor, St. Joseph's Mission
Rosalin Sam as Self - Survivor, St. Joseph's Mission
Martina Pierre as Self - Ed's Aunt
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 1080p.WEB.x265 2160p.WEB.x265
984.92 MB
1280*674
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  dk  gr  es  fi  it  ja  kr  nl  no  pt  ro  sk  sv  cn  
23.976 fps
1 hr 47 min
Seeds 12
1.98 GB
1920*1012
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  dk  gr  es  fi  it  ja  kr  nl  no  pt  ro  sk  sv  cn  
23.976 fps
1 hr 47 min
Seeds 19
1.79 GB
1920*1012
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  dk  gr  es  fi  it  ja  kr  nl  no  pt  ro  sk  sv  cn  
23.976 fps
1 hr 47 min
Seeds 17
4.78 GB
3840*2160
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  dk  gr  es  fi  it  ja  kr  nl  no  pt  ro  sk  sv  cn  
23.976 fps
1 hr 47 min
Seeds 17

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by peter0969 7 / 10

Chilling and unsetting

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival."Sugarcane" is an emotionally, chilling and disturbing documentary that explores the abuse indigenous individuals had experienced in residential schools and explores the horrifying actions from the government with strong discussions from the participants, great sense of direction and deeply personal insights of the situation.Many of the camerawork, sound designs and the conversations from the participants were beautiful, depressing, and emotional as learning about what the people have encountered in these schools is horrifying and upsetting. No individuals should have to suffer should abuse.Despite some of the documentary structure feeling slow, it still remains an important documentary to see.
Reviewed by planktonrules 8 / 10

Incredibly sad and tough to watch, but you SHOULD see this film.

"Sugarcane" is a documentary you should see. However, I am warning you up front...it's incredibly depressing because it's true. All the murders and sexual abuse did happen...and if you've been a victim yourself, you might want to think twice before you see it.The film follows several people as they try to get to the truth about the Indian residential schools in Canada. This is because they not only abused the kids to knock away their culture, by the Catholic priests who ran the places often molested these kids. And, to make it worse, when the girls got pregnant, they babies were literally tossed into incinerators at least in the case of St. Joseph's Mission.The only reason I gave this must-see film an 8 is that technically it was far from perfect...but still is most watchable. Occasionally the camerawork was poor and I feel that SOME parts should have been trimmed to make the story more succinct. Still, these are minor concerns and it's a film that NEEDS to be seen.By the way, if you are wondering if these schools for the natives are unique, unfortunately they are not. The first huge sexual abuse scandal that was uncovered at a Catholic residential school was one for deaf kids! It's in the exceptional documentary "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God".
Reviewed by ferguson-6 8 / 10

quiet desperation

Greetings again from the darkness. Whether the phrase 'systemic abuse' applies here is hardly worth discussing. The facts are that physical abuse, verbal abuse, cultural abuse, and sexual abuse occurred regularly over many years in the Catholic-run residential schools for indigenous children, both in the United States and Canada. Indigenous filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat has teamed with experienced documentarian Emily Kassie to bring this story to light.This National Geographic documentary mostly narrows its focus to St Joseph Mission near Williams Lake, British Columbia. The school closed in 1981, but it was originally one of many secretive and segregated residential schools opened to deal with "the Indian problem" in Canada. We are informed there were 139 schools in Canada and 408 in the U. S. What we notice from the start is that the film is deliberately paced to emphasize the lives of quiet desperation so many have led.In 2021, a discovery of approximately 200 unmarked graves at a different school led to a dedicated crew going deeper on research, and finding records of reported abuse and cover-ups, as well as additional unmarked graves at St Joseph. It turns out these schools required the students to speak only English, convert to Catholicism, and basically erase their native culture - all while referring to them by numbers, rather than names.Two very personal stories are followed here. One involves co-director Julian as he re-connects with his father Ed Archie NoiseCat. Ed is one of many who never knew the truth of their past and have mostly buried the memories of the mission. With Julian's work, not only do the two create a father-son bond, they also discover a stunning detail for Ed - involving a shoebox and an incinerator. The other personal story here involves former Chief Rick Gilbert, who along with his wife, uncovers a truly shocking connection in his family tree. We also follow Rick to Vatican City where the Pope reads a prepared statement filled with words, but no action.The former students are referred to as "survivors", partly because so many didn't. And while we can see and feel the pain and quiet suffering these folks are carrying, we learn that history and those memories continue to take lives. The history of abuse within the Catholic Church is not limited to white kids, it's just the indigenous history hasn't received the same publicity. The suppressed memories and search for roots is so important, and yet so many unanswered questions remain for survivors and descendants. And no one has been held accountable for the atrocities. Infanticide, abuse, cruelty, and humiliation do not seem to fit the journey of these dignified and quietly suffering folks, but there is an uplifting element with Ed and Julian, father and son.In limited theaters beginning August 30, 2024.
Read more IMDb reviews

8 Comments

Be the first to leave a comment