"They called it a school, but it was never that. There were no grades or examinations, the only test was our ability to endure.”

This movie follows the life story of an Indigenous boy named Saul Indian Horse. The movie starts when eight-year-old Saul’s brother and grandmother die, and he is forced to attend St. Jerome's Indian Residential School. Saul and his friends were subjected to abuse, neglect, humiliation, and trauma that no one, let alone children, should have to experience. When Saul is introduced to hockey by a Priest, he immediately falls in love with the sport and uses it as a way to cope. Eventually, he becomes so good at it that he gets recruited by the Moose, an Indigenous hockey team that plays against other reserves.

This movie did a great job of portraying how the Catholic church assimilated Indigenous children during the 1950-1970s. If you are looking for a movie that shows the effects of residential schools years after they have been shut down, The Grizzlies might be the movie you are looking for.