Worth: $12.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Spencer O’Brien
Intro:
… a short but sweet snapshot of the hope and support that comes with finding your community …
Precious Leader Woman follows Canadian championship snowboarder Spencer O’Brien’s journey from headstrong teen to Olympic hopeful, charting her inspiring rise to the top before a life-altering diagnosis of Rheumatoid arthritis in 2014 brought her career to a sudden stop. During those grinding months of readjustment and rehabilitation, O’Brien found strength within her Haida and Kwakwakw’wakw cultural heritage, her connection to her First Nations identity playing a pivotal role in her recovery.
Australian born director Cassie De Colling brings O’Brien’s story to the screen in a blend of striking visuals and deeply personal interviews, the film unfolding with the natural momentum of an intimate conversation amongst family. Competitive from the very beginning, O’Brien more than lives up to her Haida name “Precious Leader Woman” (Ku’laang Jaad in Haida language). From the age of 12, she pursued and attained her own sponsorship through sheer determination, a trait that never once deserted her, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable hurdles.
With a running time of 46 minutes, there’s not a lot of room for truly in-depth exploration, but De Colling uses every moment of her conservative time allowance to chart each peak and valley of O’Brien’s journey in a way that feels genuinely honest. Topics like generational sacrifice and the context of substance abuse within colonised Indigenous communities are not shied away from, and while addressed only briefly, De Colling’s approach is a sensitive one.
Her commitment to creating a space for First Nations stories to be told is apparent not only on screen, but behind the scenes, working alongside Indigenous creators including composer Matthew Cardinal, co-producer Hayley Morin, and O’Brien’s own sister, Avis, who takes on the role of the project’s cultural consultant.
With spectacular drone footage of O’Brien in action mastering the snowy Canadian peaks, interwoven alongside old home movies and the occasional re-enactment, Spencer O’Brien’s story is a simple yet heartfelt chronicle of one woman’s resilience.
Precious Leader Woman offers up a short but sweet snapshot of the hope and support that comes with finding your community, and while it may have had more impact as part of a series, its uplifting message can’t be denied.
