Justin Peroff
Like many Native families, Lena Mahikan grew up in the cycle of abuse. Her father, a residential school survivor, was an alcoholic until he killed himself when Lena was 10. Her mother, only 14 years her senior, turned to the slots. By the time Lena was 15, she was pregnant and, before giving birth, was kicked to the curb by her mom. The cycle continues and Lena is now watching helplessly as her own daughter, Peeka, spirals out of control, landing herself in the hospital following a drug overdose. As a final attempt at survival, Lena decides to return home and face her own mother and a past she’s desperate to escape.
An advice columnist, Andie Anderson, tries pushing the boundaries of what she can write about in her new piece about how to get a man to leave you in 10 days. Her editor, Lana, loves it, and Andie goes off to find a man she can use for the experiment. Enter executive Ben Berry, who is so confident in his romantic prowess that he thinks he can make any woman fall in love with him in 10 days. When Andie and Ben meet, their plans backfire.
Our Hero is a critically acclaimed television show on the CBC from 2000 to 2002. It ran for 26 episodes over two seasons, and was syndicated in the U.S. and U.K. The title character was teenager Kale Stiglic who created a zine about her life in suburban Toronto, with her friends Ross, Mary-Elizabeth, and Dalal. Each episode was named after an "issue" of her zine. Plot segments were interspersed with quirky animated sequences narrated by Kale, with the animation reflecting the illustrations used in that issue's zine.
Short drama by Sarah Polley. The film was made for the "On the Fly 4" film festival. The film was shot and edited in one day.
