Director: Peter Stebbings
Writers: Shannon Masters
Starring: Jennifer Podemski, Luke Kirby, Cara Gee, Shay Eyre
Runtime: 99 min
Rating: 14A
Peter Stebbings leaves comedy behind in order to create a realistic feature film about family and struggle. Although he started as an actor, Stebbings established himself as a noteworthy director with his first film Defendor, which was praised by many. Now he shows his versatility by bringing a film with a completely different objective and feel to the screen.
Empire of Dirt tells the story of Lena Mahikan (Cara Gee), a single mother who works cleaning houses. A former drug addict, she is now clean and doing social work at a community centre. Lena takes care of her daughter, Peeka (Shay Eyre), a rebellious and unmotivated teenager trying to fit in and figure out her own identity. After Lena is fired from work, she decides to go back to her roots and seek solace in her hometown in rural Ontario. This move, however, does not come without consequences, and she soon has to deal with the ghosts of her own troubled past.
The film is well-intentioned, dealing with topics ranging from the struggles of Aboriginal women, to various types of addiction, to the desire to gain control over one’s own life. There is a lot that Empire of Dirt tries to tackle. Although it is understood that the film is trying to expose these issues, there is nothing particularly unique about the way the film carries this purpose out. A refreshing aspect of the film is that the main characters are women of colour, and their story is not told in the usual manner regarding Native Canadians. Instead of declaring them as “The Other”, Empire of Dirt gives voice and identity to the women, and the result is a film from their own perspective. Another important aspect of this work is the fact that its main objective is not to talk about the women’s ethnic identity; that is already an integral part of the characters, and the spectator is aware of it without it being the centre of the film. Hopefully the spectator is aware that part of the women’s suffering stems from the systemic disadvantage Native Canadians face in modern society. This element is important because it creates a story about women of colour that has to be accepted by mainstream media, and the excuse of it only being relatable to a certain group of people is no longer valid. This view is needed not only in the film industry, but in all forms of media.
Unfortunately, as far as acting goes, the film is not very remarkable. Although Cara Gee and Shay Eyre both show potential, it is clear that they lack experience, and the dialogue in the film is at times awkwardly delivered. In some instances the lines feel rehearsed, and the interactions fail to flow smoothly at all times. Cara Gee is stern and aloof as Peeka’s mother, and her character hides a sad past and a broken relationship with her daughter. Unfortunately, their relationship fails to completely enthral. The script also seems rather standard; there are no particularly interesting exchanges of dialogue and only a few scenes stand out in content. There is, however, a type of epilogue at the end that wraps up the film nicely. The rest of the elements in the film are also quite unnoteworthy. Simple cinematography and music let the story shine through without really being outstanding additions to the final product.
Empire of Dirt’s real value lies in its exposition of issues that affect a group of people who lack a significant voice in film and other media. It does so in a way that gives humanity and identity not only to the characters, but also to the story it’s telling. Although quite conventional in formal aspects, the film is important simply because of its content, which make it significant, although not particularly unique. The film does have a very comforting home-made feeling to it, especially for those who can identify the Canadian landscape within. Although not a significant work in the history of film, Empire of Dirt is a beacon of hope for those who long for greater ethnic diversity in film.
