Sirene Qureshi | Contributor
Featured Image: Woman Walks Ahead, a film about friendship and Aboriginal rights, has given York pride for having Professor Michael Greyeys star in the TIFF film. | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
This year, the Toronto International Film Festival premiered Woman Walks Ahead, starring Jessica Chastain and York Theatre Professor Michael Greyeyes. The film is based on a true story set in 1890. Chastain, an Oscar nominee, took on the role of Catherine Weldon, a strong-willed and non-conformist artist, and Greyeyes played Hunkpapa Lakota holy man Sitting Bull.
The film, directed by Susanna White, focuses on courage and the voiceless’ unwavering determination to make themselves heard. The audience follows Chastain and Greyeyes’ characters as they fight for Aboriginal land rights. When Weldon finds herself struggling after the loss of her husband, she goes on a journey to find inspiration and meaning in life by painting Aboriginals. At first, she is an outsider. But as time passes, her friendship with Sitting Bull and his people betters her understanding of Aboriginal culture, and she becomes an advocate for their cause.
Stephanie Turner, fifth-year BFA Special Honours Theatre student who has been taught by Greyeyes, boasts about his teaching skills.
“Being taught by him was awesome. He wants nothing less than professionalism and hard work from his students, and he wants 110 per cent, both physically and mentally, always,” she says.
“At the same time, Greyeyes never let any of us believe that we couldn’t do something. If we failed, it’s because we didn’t try hard enough. If we didn’t take a change, it’s because we weren’t believing in ourselves. Overall, he tries to instill in his students the same ideals and work ethic that got him so far in his career.”
Along with his excellent teaching skills, Greyeyes also touches people with his acting. He portrays Sitting Bull’s character in a way that creates raw chemistry with Chastain, enabling the audience to feel the pain and loss they both experience.
“His work in this film will definitely help market the Theatre program. Our program is known as a starting place for many aspiring theatre professionals: designers, dramaturgs, actors, playwrights, and barre technicians. One of our alumnae, Rachel McAdams, has a wonderful acting career, and many associate her with York’s Acting Conservatory. Many people enter the program because of her—however, some who come here aspire to be famous, like McAdams. They’re missing the point of what we do here at Theatre@York. I just hope that with Greyeyes’ success, we get the attention of young artists who want to work hard and be the best that they can be at their craft, instead of people who daydream of red carpets and fame,” says Turner.
On top of the astounding acting and pleasant filmmaking, Woman Walks Ahead stands out from the other featured dramas at TIFF—while it’s a serious film, its use of comic relief adds as a unique element to the film. It allows us to see how out of place Chastain’s character is in the Aboriginal community—yet through her persistence, we see how well people with different backgrounds can get along. It shows us how ludicrous the war for land really is, and how much more our similarities outweighs our differences.
White’s film teaches us to be more accepting and open-minded of people who are different from us. It also shows how great York talent is, and that if we want it—and if we believe in ourselves enough—we can do anything, just as Greyeyes preaches.
Check out the history behind TIFF in our recap video:
