As the Toronto International Film Festival kicks off, smaller movies hope to garner attention amongst the glittering, A-list pictures debuting. Filmmaker Jeff Barnaby, formerly known for shorts, is presenting his debut in Toronto, entitled “Rhymes for Young Ghouls.” The Canadian director casts an eye onto the abuse of Canadian Aboriginal children who were separated from their families with his first picture; a practice that went on until the 1990s with state-run schools for Aboriginals only.
“Rhymes for Young Ghouls” follows 15-year-old Alia (Kawennahere Devery Jones), who has to give up her role as the local drug queen when her father, Joseph (Glen Gould) returns from prison. An exclusive clip has been released, which establishes a grim, hardscrabble world of violence, family, and pride. In this scene, young Devery Jones certainly controls the screen and grasps the horrors of the film; it should be a fairly intense performance and the scene speaks to a larger, almost mythological world, sort of in the vein of “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” We also really like the line, “Ain’t nobody above an ass-kicking.”
Check out the new poster below as well. “Rhymes for Young Ghouls” gets its world premiere, September 9th, at the Toronto International Film Festival. The rest of the Festival runs September 5th to September 15th.
