Unclaimed (2016 film)
| On the Farm | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Rachel Talalay |
| Written by | Dennis Foon |
| Produced by | Rupert Harvey |
| Starring | Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers Sara Canning Sarah Strange |
| Cinematography | Michael C. Blundell |
| Edited by | Lara Mazur |
| Music by | Adam Lastiwka |
Release date | July 23, 2016 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
On the Farm is a TV film starring Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Sara Canning, Patrick Gallagher, Kevin McNulty, Tantoo Cardinal, and Sarah Strange. It is a dramatic narrative adapted from journalist Stevie Cameron's 2010 book of the same name,[1] examining the years leading to serial killer Robert Pickton's arrest and the court proceedings before his conviction. It is released in Canada as Unclaimed.[2][3]
Plot
Main character Nikki Taylor (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), a resident of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, struggles to get out of the cycle of addiction and sex-work to get back to her son. She notices the disappearance of an alarming number of women as she fights to get off the streets. She teams up with social worker, Elaine (Sarah Strange), and police officer Sinead McLeod (Sara Canning), to investigate. They face a slow-moving police department until the media takes notice and it becomes a national story.[2]
Cast
- Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers as Nikki Taylor
- Sarah Strange as Elaine
- Sara Canning as Sinead McLeod
- Patrick Gallagher
- Kevin McNulty
- Tantoo Cardinal
Production
Shot on location in Vancouver, Canada, in the Downtown Eastside.[2]
Awards
Winner of Best Television Movie, Best Screenwriting Television Movie, and Best Casting Television Movie at the 2016 Leo Awards.[4] A further seven LEO nominations were picked up for Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Picture Editing, Best Musical Score, Best Make-Up, Best Supporting Performance - Female (Sara Canning), and Best Lead Performance - Female (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers).[5]
Reception
The narrative has been noted for its refusal to put the serial killer as the main character.[1] Francois Marchand of The Vancouver Sun notes: "A more sensational retelling of the story would be about Pickton, but On The Farm is clearly not about the character portrayed briefly by actor Ben Cotton, who doesn’t have a single line of dialogue and is simply credited as 'The Farmer.'”[6]
The Globe and Mail television critic John Doyle states: "The Pickton character barely appears and the attention is, rightly, on the addicts and sex workers and the handful of cops who understood from the start that the matter of missing women deserved serious scrutiny."[7]
References
- ^ a b Furminger, Sabrina. "Beyond Pickton". Westender. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
- ^ a b c Talalay, Rachel (2016-10-10), On the Farm, retrieved 2016-07-24
- ^ "On the Farm - Based on the book "On the Farm" by Stevie Cameron". onthefarm.info. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
- ^ "Leo Awards, Winners by Program". www.leoawards.com. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
- ^ "Leo Awards, Nominees by Program 2016". Leoawards.com. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
- ^ "On The Farm: A story of survival". Vancouver Sun. 2016-07-14. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
- ^ "John Doyle: Unclaimed is a dramatic TV movie about the Pickton murders". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-07-24.