Portraits From A Fire

2020

1h 32m

Drama

List

100%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

Portraits from a Fire is a coming-of-age film that follows Tyler, an eccentric and lonely teenager who spends his days filmmaking, vlogging his Indigenous community, and hanging out with his grandparents. His father, Gord, is physically present but remains emotionally absent from Tyler's life for reasons Tyler cannot understand. That is until he meets Aaron, a mysterious, charismatic, and influential figure who encourages Tyler to showcase his most personal film about his mother's disappearance to the community, leading to a reckoning between past and future, life and death, and father and son. The film follows Tyler's journey to heal the wounds of the past by opening them once again. And by finding the courage to face the fear of the unknown, he weaves together the strong sacred bonds of family through both living and ancestral realms.

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Marsha Lederman

Globe and Mail

From its opening credits - blissful home movies over Wolf Parade's urgent, driving guitar - Portraits from a Fire bursts with joy and energy.

Oct 29, 2021

Full Review

Alisha Mughal

Exclaim!

Portraits from a Fire is a film that delivers not only a moving story but also a visual feast, bringing the act of remembering, and all the pain it unearths, to life in a way that few filmmakers have done.

Rated: 8/10

Aug 15, 2023

Full Review

Chris Knight

National Post

Portraits from a Fire boasts some superb production values in the larger film, but wrapped around a simple, heartfelt tale that is clearly close to the heart of its 29-year-old director.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 11, 2021

Full Review

Jim Slotek

Original Cin

A sweet movie, with flashes of digital artiness, some dark moments and nicely drawn characters with a shared wry sense of humour.

Rated: B-plus

Nov 8, 2021

Full Review

Anne Brodie

What She Said

An extraordinary work, both by Mack and actor William Lulua who carries the film on his young shoulders.

Oct 29, 2021

Full Review

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Trevor Mack

Director

Nathaniel Arcand

Gord

Pauline Bob-King

Trish

Melanie Bobby

Etsu

Isaiah Fogarty

Henry

Dakota Hance

Firefighter #3

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Synopsis

Portraits from a Fire is a coming-of-age film that follows Tyler, an eccentric and lonely teenager who spends his days filmmaking, vlogging his Indigenous community, and hanging out with his grandparents. His father, Gord, is physically present but remains emotionally absent from Tyler's life for reasons Tyler cannot understand. That is until he meets Aaron, a mysterious, charismatic, and influential figure who encourages Tyler to showcase his most personal film about his mother's disappearance to the community, leading to a reckoning between past and future, life and death, and father and son. The film follows Tyler's journey to heal the wounds of the past by opening them once again. And by finding the courage to face the fear of the unknown, he weaves together the strong sacred bonds of family through both living and ancestral realms.

Director: Trevor Mack
Producer: Rylan Friday, Kate Kroll, Trevor Mack
Screenwriter: Manny Mahal, Derek Vermillion
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 32m

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