What to Binge During Isolation

May 7, 2020

By Jordan Cryderman

The COVID-19 lockdown has undoubtedly caused some household boredom. However, since outside activities are limited, there’s no better time to indulge in some home entertainment media. Here is a list of some great books, movies, and video games to binge while you’re stuck at home.

Books

Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson

Monkey Beach is about a young Indigenous girl from the Kitimaat village who lives in a world where her traditional values are competing with Western influences. Written by Eden Robinson, who is from Kitamaat, BC, and part of the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations, Monkey Beach takes place in close proximity of our region. There is an upcoming film for Monkey Beach starring Grace Dove, who you may have seen in our #ProtectOurElders campaign!

In My Own Mocassins: A Memoir of Resilience by Helen Knott

Another name you may recognize from our #ProtectOurElders campaign, Helen Knott’s, In My Own Mocassins: A Memoir of Resilience, is an autobiography about an accomplished Indigenous woman who had many hardships growing up. Knott accounts addiction, intergenerational trauma, and sexual violence, but Knott was able to persevere through ceremony and family. It’s a dark story, but shows the way to a brighter path. 

Mapping My Way Home: A Gitxsan History by Neil J. Sterritt

Mapping My Way Home: A Gitxsan History, by Neil J. Sterritt, recounts the history of the Gitxsan territory. Dating back nearly 150 years ago, Sterritt illustrates the economic importance of the region when traders, explorers, and miners, among others, visited the area. Sterritt, who is Gitxsan himself, shares stories about the people, both historical and current, as well as his own experiences.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubeshig Rice

When a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark, panic insets. In Moon of the Crusted Snow, by Waubeshig Rice, it takes returning to the land and traditions to offset the chaos and return to harmony. During COVID-19, this just might be the perfect allegory in reducing the chaos in your life.

Secret Path (Graphic novel and album) by Gord Downie

The Secret Path is unique in that it is a multimedia project: a musical album, a graphic novel, and a television film, all of which written by Gord Downie. The project is about a young Anishinaabe boy who died trying to escape from a residential school. Secret Path is for a great cause, as all proceeds from the album and graphic novel are being donated to the University of Manitoba’s National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation project.

Snowguard (Marvel hero)

If comic books are more your thing, new Marvel Comics superhero, Snowguard, is a young Inuit teenage girl. Snowguard is part of the Champions, which includes teenage versions of Spider-Man and Hulk. You can catch her in Champions Vol 2, issues #19-#21, the Northern Lights storyline. 

Video Games

Never Alone (2014)

Never Alone is a video game about a Iñupiaq girl, Nuna, and her Arctic fox companion. The story was written by Ishamel Angaluuk Hope, a storyteller and poet of the Iñupiaq and Tlingit peoples. The game involves solving platforming puzzles as you swap control between Nuna and her Arctic fox. Never Alone is available across a multitude of platforms, including iOS and Android. 

Thunderbird Strike (2017)

Thunderbird Strike is a side-scrolling game created by Elizabeth LaPensée. The players controls Thunderbird, a mythical creature that is present in many Indigenous legends across Canada. Thunderbird Strike is available on the Google Play and App Store, as well as PC.

Films 

Indian Horse (2018)

Adapted from Richard Wagamese’s novel of the same name, Indian Horse is about a young Indigenous Canadian boy, Saul Indian Horse, who endures the residential school system and later becomes a star hockey player. Indian Horse is about overcoming your oppressors, as Saul is able to find salvation in one of Canada’s favourite pastimes – hockey. 

Falls Around Her (2018)

Looking to reconnect with her traditional land, a renowned Anishinaabe musician returns to her community in Northern Ontario. Falls Around Her is written and directed by Darlene Naponse, an Anishinaabe woman, and was shot on the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek First Nation reserve. 

Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2002)

Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner is the retelling of an Inuit legend that has been part of oral tradition for centuries. An evil spirit causes trouble in the community, and Atanarjuat must endure the menace of the spirit. It is the first film to be written, directed, and acted in the Inuktitut language. 

Edge of the Knife (2018)

Made in collaboration with the same team behind Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, Edge of the Knife takes place on Haida Gwaii during the 19th century. After an accident, a man is forced to retreat into the wilderness. The title is rooted in a Haida saying: “The world is as sharp as the edge of a knife; as you go along, you have to be careful or you will fall off one side or the other.” Edge of the Knife is the first feature film spoken only in the Haida language.

There’s Something in the Water  (2019) - Available on Netflix

There’s Something in the Water is a Canadian documentary on environmental racism that many of the Indigenous and Black populations of Nova Scotia are faced with. As a result of industrial development, some sources of water in the province were tainted, and as the documentary maker’s discover, were all placed in low-income and, most of the time, Indigenous or Black communities.

Frontier – TV series (2016-2018) - Available on Netflix

With three seasons currently on Netflix, Frontier will keep you plenty busy during this time. Set in 18th century Canada (known then as Rupert’s Land), Frontier chronicles the Hudson’s Bay Company’s monopoly of the fur trade in Canada. Jason Momoa stars as the main protagonist, a part-Irish, part-Cree outlaw who attempts to weaken the Hudson’s Bay Company’s hold on the area.

Did we miss any of your favourites? Make a suggestion in the comments on our Facebook page!

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