Written and Directed by Gail Maurice | 89 min | ▲1/2 

Beatrice (Dana Solomon) is a young, queer Metis woman who writes for a newspaper and works at a grocery store in her small town, She isn’t happy to see the return of her mother, Léonore (writer-director Maurice), an alcoholic now sober who abandoned her as a child. Léonore is looking to make amends, this while newcomer Chani (Derica Lafrance) is in town to research her birth family. She was just a baby when she was sent away to the city to be adopted.

Around them are a community of elders — maybe the best part of the movie, the undeniable charm of the female supporting cast — with lovely cultural details that distinguish the production.

Unfortunately, not much else does. The dialogue too often trades on cliche, like something you’d see in a 1990s Movie of the Week, deathless pronouncements like: “She’s your mother, whether you like it or not!”

Some of the acting is amateur hour, and much of the direction and editing shoddy and obvious. While the chemistry between Bea and Chani works, it’s cheapened by a slurry of maudlin cancer drama scenes and maybe the year’s most ill-advised plot twist that sends the entire production toward unintended camp.

To make matters worse, the film has been swathed in a sepia-toned post-production wash. It’s a legitimate aesthetic choice, but it only serves to make the movie look flat and muddy.

Knowing how difficult it is to get an independent movie made in Canada, it’s always worth noting when one gets a wide release in cinemas — especially when it forefronts under-represented communities and authentic cultural notes. More the shame that this one is such a mess.