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Empire of Dirt

Play trailer Poster for Empire of Dirt 2013 1h 39m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Lena flees to her rural hometown after her 13-year-old daughter's overdose attracts the attention of child services. She reunites with her estranged mother and is forced to face a past she has tried to ignore.
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Empire of Dirt

Critics Reviews

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Linda Barnard Toronto Star 11/21/2013
2.5/4
Empire of Dirt tells a traditional mothers-and-daughters story in a new way by making their Cree heritage and the role it has in their lives and relationships the true heart of the drama. Go to Full Review Angelo Muredda Cinema Scope 11/14/2017
Empire of Dirt is a too-neatly structured look at a couple of First Nations mother-daughter pairs coping with traumas both fresh and ancestral, whose descent into Canadian storytelling clichés is so pronounced. Go to Full Review Chris Knight National Post 11/21/2013
3/4
Empire of Dirt is a simple family drama, but well crafted to fit the story it wants to tell. Go to Full Review Katherine Monk Canada.com 11/21/2013
3/5
[A] well-intentioned and finely crafted drama that explores the legacy of the love deficit created by white government intervention in First Nations communities via residential schools. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 09/20/2013
2/4
...ultimately most successful as a showcase for Gee's thoroughly impressive turn as the central character. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Matt G @Reckless_jamming Jul 6 Cara gee is a force to be reckoned with. Her performance alone makes this movie a must see See more Jake D 01/11/2024 Cara Gee and a young Shay Eyre excel at the complicated mother-daughter relationship that is the heart of this movie. While touching on intergenerational trauma and the struggles of young motherhood might not provide the most original character progression, sometimes all you need is Luke Kirby being a bad beau and some earnest acting choices. Also shoutout to Jordan Prentice, whose chemistry with Cara Gee made me as well as Shay Eyre's Peeka wish, only briefly, that Warren Fensky was Lena's old boyfriend. See more 06/17/2017 Modestly made and brilliantly written, acted and produced - M.I.C. for sure! Last time I was hijacked on a Saturday night not expecting some flic on Canadian tv to wrench my guts out was TVO's airing of Newman's Nobody's Fool. or recently watching "Emile" w/ Ian McKellen - but Empire of Dirt is beyond all that - so real, so genuine... I'm embarrassed as an adult male to say it gripped me intensely - I fell in love with every character. Bravo! See more 12/04/2016 Just watched this. Really good to see a film that is human, not spectacle, superhero wars and killing in general. It has a European sensibility, is very well acted and shot, explores values on many levels and has a lot to say. Recommended. See more 01/21/2016 The film is well intentioned and tries to do right by the aboriginal people, but good intentions cannot save the film from its faults. See more 01/24/2014 Well developed - good story - teaches us. See more Read all reviews
Empire of Dirt

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Peter Stebbings

Director

Cara Gee

Lena

Shay Eyre

Peeka

Jennifer Podemski

Minerva

Luke Kirby

Russell

Jordan Prentice

Warren

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Empire of Dirt

Empire of Dirt (2013) Empire of Dirt (2013) Empire of Dirt (2013) Empire of Dirt (2013) Empire of Dirt (2013) Empire of Dirt (2013) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Lena flees to her rural hometown after her 13-year-old daughter's overdose attracts the attention of child services. She reunites with her estranged mother and is forced to face a past she has tried to ignore.
Director
Peter Stebbings
Producer
Bob Crowe, Heather K. Dahlstrom, Geoff Ewart, Jennifer Podemski
Screenwriter
Shannon Masters
Production Co
Telefilm Canada, Redcloud Studios, Narrow Path Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2017
Runtime
1h 39m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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