As part of National Canadian Film Day, the Patricia Theatre is offering a free presentation of Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On on Wednesday, April 19, at 7 pm.
The documentary shows us how the singer/songwriter was decades ahead of the rest of us. It's a raw, searing portrait of an artist and activist who has been ahead of her time every step of the way.
It’s only partly a music documentary. Yes, it gets into the stories behind a few songs and paints a vivid portrait of the bohemian folk scene in New York City cafés in the early 1960s, but it wisely doesn’t attempt to offer a complete rundown of Sainte-Marie’s music career.
The most moving moments concern the 81-year-old Cree artist’s unrelenting dedication to social and political causes. A wealth of archival footage highlights how she decried the genocide of Indigenous people in the 1660s (long before it was widely discussed in those terms), and insisted that white people couldn’t portray Indigenous characters. Interviews with Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson, Jeremy Dutcher and others reinforce Sainte-Marie's enduring influence.
Every step of the way, Sainte-Marie is passionate and unguarded, and every word she says simply radiates off the screen. Buffy Sainte-Marie’s presence on screen, just being herself, is the best part; her spirit shines, her wit and warmth blast through the screen and her many talents inspire.
Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On is a must-see to learn and lift us up. Running time is one hour and 30 minutes.
Gary Shilling is executive director of qathet Film Society.
