Mylia is about to begin high school. Her daily commute takes her far from her quaint country life, and she finds herself lost in an unfamiliar and hostile environment. Dealing with the new pressures of fitting in, Mylia copes as well as she can, sometimes awkwardly, as she navigates the absurdities, discomforts, and small victories of adolescence. To add to her challenges, she’s conflicted about neglecting her loving little sister, while making friends her age. Along the way she is drawn to Jimmy, a boy in her class who displays deep emotional sensitivity and formidable intelligence. To her detriment, Mylia is apprehensive to get to know him. The rest of the school sees him as a rogue outlier living on an Indigenous reserve. With Jimmy’s steadfast encouragement pushing her to move outside of her comfort zone, Mylia discovers personal truths that make her first year of high school one to remember.
C’est la fin de l’été à la campagne. Mylia, 12 ans, commence l’école secondaire. Elle aura moins de temps à consacrer à sa jeune soeur Camille et à veiller sur ses parents qui se disputent fréquemment. Dans cet endroit hostile et inconnu, elle devra trouver sa place. Sa cousine lui présente Jacinthe, une fille plus vieille et expérimentée qui possède un réseau d’amies. Peut-être qu’en ressemblant aux autres et en joignant le rang, tout sera plus facile. Sa route croise également celle de Jimmy, un camarade de classe autochtone qui est souvent dans son coin.
Themes: coming of age, sexual awakenings, family, racism, identity, love, bullying
Classified: PG – violence; coarse language
Advisory: A dog eats a chicken, and it dies in front of a group of children. Young people consume alcohol at a house party and explore their budding desires while having frank conversations about sex and their bodies.
Feature film recommended for grades 7-12 (ages 12+)
Preceded by:
Over the summer, puberty comes between two friends whose bodies mature at a different pace. Investigating the awkwardness of this rite of passage, Nienka Deutz’s award winning film uses unconventional and charming animation techniques to illustrate the dissipation of childhood bonds.
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