7 /10 1 Votes
Directed by Rachel Talalay Written by Dennis Foon Cinematography Michael C. Blundell Director Rachel Talalay | 6.9/10 IMDb Produced by Rupert Harvey Music by Adam Lastiwka Initial release 23 July 2016 Music director Adam Lastiwka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Starring Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers
Sara Canning
Sarah Strange Nominations Canadian Screen Award for Best TV Movie or Limited Series Awards Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series Cast Elle‑Maija Tailfeathers, Sara Canning, Sarah Strange Similar I Put A Hit On You, Hannah's Law, Tank Girl, Hairspray, The Wind in the Willows | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unclaimed is a TV film starring Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Sara Canning, Patrick Gallagher, Kevin McNulty, Tantoo Cardinal, and Sarah Strange. It is a dramatic narrative adapted from journalist Stevie Cameron's 2010 book of the same name, examining the years leading to serial killer Robert Pickton's arrest and the court proceedings before his conviction. It was released in Canada as Unclaimed, but was released as On the Farm in some international markets.
Contents
Plot
Main character Nikki Taylor (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), a resident of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, struggles to get out of the cycle of addiction and sex-work to get back to her son. She notices the disappearance of an alarming number of women as she fights to get off the streets. She teams up with social worker, Elaine (Sarah Strange), and police officer Sinead McLeod (Sara Canning), to investigate. They face a slow-moving police department until the media takes notice and it becomes a national story.
Cast
Production
Shot on location in Vancouver, British Columbia, in the Downtown Eastside.
Awards
The film won the awards for Best Television Movie, Best Screenwriting in a Television Movie, and Best Casting in a Television Movie at the 2016 Leo Awards. It was also nominated for Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Picture Editing, Best Musical Score, Best Make-Up, Best Supporting Performance - Female (Sara Canning), and Best Lead Performance - Female (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers).
At the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017, Tailfeathers won the award for Best Actress in a Television Film or Miniseries.
Reception
The narrative has been noted for its refusal to put the serial killer as the main character. Francois Marchand of The Vancouver Sun notes: "A more sensational retelling of the story would be about Pickton, but On The Farm is clearly not about the character portrayed briefly by actor Ben Cotton, who doesn’t have a single line of dialogue and is simply credited as 'The Farmer.'”
The Globe and Mail television critic John Doyle states: "The Pickton character barely appears and the attention is, rightly, on the addicts and sex workers and the handful of cops who understood from the start that the matter of missing women deserved serious scrutiny."