Bones of Crows tells a story about an indigenous woman who lived through being sent to a residential school for native children in Canada. The story moves around in time to illustrate almost 100 years of the history of trauma and abuse caused by the schools.

Bones of Crows centers its story around Aline Spears, played by Grace Dove with Carla-Rae as the elder Aline and Summer Testawich as the younger Aline. The movie is over 2 hours long, told in a nonlinear way. Since the film was released, the same story has been made into a 5 part series. The movie is available on Hulu, but I don’t think the series has been shown in the U.S. anywhere yet.

Written and directed by Marie Clements, the film is beautiful and moving. It begins in the 1930s when the Canadian government enlisted the Catholic Church to sequester Indian children in schools where they were to “drive the Indian out of them.” Aline and her brother and sisters were taken away to one such school.

Living conditions in the schools were terrible. The children were starved, terrorized, and sexually abused. Many died. Aline was a gifted pianist. Her chance to be successful with music was halted by a nun who broke all the bones in her left hand by stomping on it.

At age 16, Aline’s mother managed to get her out of the school and enlist her in the army. She was trained in Morse code and sent to London to translate coded messages into her Cree language during World War II. She met Adam (Phillip Lewinsky), also a soldier, and they married.

When the war ended, Aline and Adam went home to Canada and had children. The Canadian government did not do away with residential schools until 1996. One of Aline’s daughters grew up to become a lawyer who worked with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help survivors.

When Aline was 83 years old, she went with a delegation from various tribes in Canada to an audience with the Pope in Rome. The Pope apologized for the abuses of the past. Aline spoke out about her abuser, who was now a Cardinal working by the Pope’s side.

I thought the story was well told and very moving as a movie. The song “You Are My Bones” performed at the end by Aline’s daughter was touching and emotionally powerful. However, much of the story was given just a glancing look. We see glimpses of the effects of childhood trauma on a few survivors, but it could be explored in more depth. I’m sure the 5 part series that came after the movie deepens the story significantly.

The ways the children developed of fighting back, preserving the truth, holding on to their origins and their families was inspiring.

I watched another film about grown sisters who had survived Canadian residential schools that included much of the same information, even the trip to Rome, but I don’t find a review of it on Old Ain’t Dead. This film is much better than that one. I did review Night Raiders, but that isn’t the one I’ve been trying to remember the name of.

The Canadians have done a better job of facing up to their history with Indian schools than we have in the U.S. I thought this film told an important story.