Seventeen

Seventeen follows the intersecting lives of three young, queer, Indigenous sex workers in gritty downtown Vancouver over 17 hours as they face significant challenges. First-time feature director and writer Justin Ducharme handles each character with care and sensitivity, and the authenticity radiates off the screen.

A cast of relative newcomers play the three lead characters. The drama is not about the work each of them do, but instead about important deadlines they are racing to meet: Tamara (Nizhonniya Austin) must track down a passport before she’s kicked out of the country, Jacob (Taio Gélinas) has to find the money for a deposit on a new apartment, and December (Aalayna) needs to acknowledge a pressing family situation back home on her reserve. Also appearing in pivotal smaller roles are some of today’s leading Indigenous actors, such as Kaniehtiio Horn (Seeds, TIFF ’24) and Joel Oulette (Can I Get a Witness? TIFF ’24, also at this year’s Festival in Carrie).

As the clock ticks down on each of their deadlines, chosen family members step in — and up — to do whatever they can but, crucially, Tamara, Jacob, and December need to do the work themselves. This is an impressive debut from Ducharme, one that gives viewers a glimpse into the complex realities of queer Indigenous people living on the margins in the urban spaces around us.

KELLY BOUTSALIS

TIFF Next Wave: Celebrating the highs and lows (and everything in between) of young voices in today’s fast-moving world. This film has been selected for the next generation of film lovers by the TIFF Next Wave Committee.

Content advisory: explicit sex scenes, coarse language, mature themes, nudity