The Water of Life
70 minutes
Heart-rending history of the original native population of Canada and groups driven away elsewhere for political or economic motives. A dark and turbulent history of all times.
It is a dark winter night in the early 1930s. A group of six Canadian bootleggers attempts to smuggle whiskey into the United States where Prohibition is still in full effect. When they are spotted by border authorities, the men flee into the forest where they hole up in an abandoned cabin for the night. They sit together around a small crackling fire, sharing the one bottle of whiskey they have salvaged from the operation. To pass the hours, they tell their ancestral family stories. Richly detailed and deeply moving tales of personal struggle and survival, that bring to vibrant life the early immigrant stories of three of Canada’s largest cultural communities-the Scottish, the Irish, and the French-as well as the heart-breaking tale of one of Canada’s indigenous communities, the Abenaki. They are all looking for a safe destination and take care of each other in the rigid, cruel nature in the dead of winter.
This program screened as part of Haff 2016
Showing in this program
The Water of Life
Six Canadian bootleggers attempt to smuggle whiskey into the United States during Prohibition. Spotted by border authorities, four men abandon their truckload of liquor and flee into the forest where they hole up in an abandoned cabin around a small crackling fire, sharing a bottle of whiskey, told by the Abenaki, Scottish, Irish and French members of the crew, are The Water of Life.
