Tasha Hubbard’s Meadowlarks is a dramatic narrative of the director’s award-winning documentary Birth of a Family. Hubbard portrays the same story of reunited First Nations siblings who were separated by the Sixties Scoop, as they spend a week in Banff to gain an intimate bond that was destroyed when they were relocated to different families. With the exception, however, of one heart-stricken brother who prefers to live life in the present instead of refacing on a painful past.

In her first endeavour directing a feature-length, traditional narrative, Hubbard doesn’t exhibit specific signature filmmaking; perhaps in an effort to allow the emotional context of each scene to shine through. The roles are shaped well under the guidance of the director and theie actors, and the movie’s patience allows the story and its characters to breathe. Quite simply, Meadowlarks is a good enough alternative for audiences who would prefer to watch this type of movie over a documentary.

So, why would Hubbard, primarily known as a documentarian (nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, Singing Back the Buffalo), repackage Birth of a Family for her debut instead of tackling new material? My guess is because the filmmaker is continuing an impassioned initiative to acknowledge Canada’s problematic history and keep the conversation alive. This makes Meadowlarks partially critic-proof. As long as Hubbard’s message of remembrance and empathy is being conveyed clearly, which it is, then the film has served its purpose.

Movie goers now have two options: watch the doc (currently available to stream on the NFB website or on Tubi) or watch Meadowlarks (currently in theatres). Personally, I would choose the former, but the latter choice will be a good fit for audiences who finds documentaries too rigid. And if you don’t like movies, well, I’m sure Tasha Hubbard’s will write you a letter, take you out to coffee, or even rent an airplane to spell out her mission in the skies. And for that, I admire Tasha Hubbard and her activism.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie