imagineNATIVE 2023 Capsule Reviews: ‘Café Daughter’ and ‘Hey, Viktor!’ Take Tonally Different Approaches to Existential Self-Inquiry

With this year’s imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, the spotlight is again on the Indigenous talents both in front of and behind the camera. Armed with countless stories they’re ready to tell, these artists showcase their creativity and flair to depict the everyday Indigenous lives. Two of these films take the polar opposites in approaching their storytelling, albeit with one goal in mind. Shelley Niro’s “Café Daughter” and Cody Lightning’s “Hey, Viktor!” both delve into existential self-inquiry to ascertain their identities.

And while they have differing reasons behind doing so, both the central characters of these films realize the importance of accepting who they are—along with the responsibilities that come with such acceptance. 

Here are our thoughts on “Café Daughter” and “Hey, Viktor!”

‘Café Daughter’: A Coming-of-Age Story of Embracing Identity Amidst Racism

“Café Daughter” opens with title cards that state that the majority consider racialized groups like the Chinese people to be indentured servants. Along with this, they don’t see Indigenous Peoples as citizens or as human beings; but rather as wards of the state to be fully controlled under martial law. This includes children taken from their homes and permanently placed in residential schools, in clear efforts to dismantle the traditional Native family.

The film then introduces us to Yvette Wong and her family. Showing remarkable intellect at an early age, she has always wanted to be a doctor, in order to cure her mother of the latter’s illness. As the movie progresses, we see Yvette’s childhood affected by the sociopolitical climate at the time. As a young girl of mixed Cree and Chinese Canadian ancestry growing up in 1960s’ Saskatchewan; Yvette has to face challenges every day, owing to the fact that her mother is Cree and her father is Chinese Canadian.  

A Timely Film Inspired by True Events

Based on the play of the same name by Kenneth T. Williams, and inspired by true events, “Café Daughter” sees Yvette exploring and embracing her Cree identity. It’s a journey that gets its head start thanks to a part-Mi’kmaq girl who encourages Yvette to take pride in her heritage; which is something she and her brother never get to experience due to their parent’s fears for their safety and wellbeing. 

Director Shelley Niro depicts discrimination, racism, and hatred with care; opting to follow Yvette’s self-discovery even as her personal dreams of going to medical school run the risk of not getting fulfilled. This means that the film at times falls prey to melodrama, whereas other scenes lack more exploration. 

At its core, nonetheless, “Café Daughter” is a story of inspiration. And as a film rooted in the life experiences of a modern-day warrior in  Dr. Lillian Eva Quan Dyck, OC, this is a galvanizing reminder of the importance of embracing one’s roots–and forging their own path toward championing their identity.

Grade: B-

‘Hey, Viktor!’: When Fame is Your Currency, How Do You Subsist When It Goes Away?

Working on a script he co-wrote with Samuel Miller, Cody Lightning helms “Hey, Viktor!”—a mockumentary that’s funny and honest and poignant and satisfying in equal measures. In the film, Lightning stars as a fictionalized version of himself, 25 years after his breakthrough role as the young Victor in the critically acclaimed film “Smoke Signals.” 

But as it is common with child actors in the industry, Cody has clearly seen better days. In the quarter-century since the release of the film that made him a household name, he’s spent his years trying to capitalize on that fame in hopes of getting back on the proverbial horse. 

When he’s not shooting pro-fracking commercials or landing acting parts in gay porn films, Cody snorts cocaine and drones about his glory days as the young Viktor. At certain points, people burst his bubble by reminding him that his role in the film wasn’t even the lead; it was simply the backstory to the real lead’s narrative.

With his childhood friend and loyal manager Kate (Hannah Cheesman) at his side, Cody hatches the perfect plan: making a spiritual sequel to “Smoke Signals.” With a financier willing to finance the film, Cody needs to reunite with much of the original film’s cast. In doing so, he needs to come to terms with the realities of his life; and for once, to take responsibility.  

A Very Funny and Insightful Mockumentary on the Allures of Fifteen Minutes of Fame

From the David Brents of the world to the fictional Cody Lightnings, fifteen minutes of fame seems like an intoxicating drink that’s hard to resist. “Hey, Viktor!” shows Cody having become a Z-list celebrity with no concrete plan in his life. When not self-making zombie films and regurgitating their storylines, he parties hard and drinks himself to death. In between, he tells the camera that people love seeing someone like him.

“These people love seeing someone like me … I’m Viktor, you know?”

The thing I appreciate about “Hey, Viktor!” is how Lightning approaches the subject matter with honesty and hilarity. Sure, there’s nothing funny about a career gone tits up, but an honest examination is warranted to make every toe-curling scene work. Because in the end, when that one big break comes and Cody might get back up on that horse, it’ll then all be worth it.  

As the film shows Cody trying to make his sequel, he’s forced to do something he has long avoided all his life: taking accountability. And for what it’s worth, this film is a 100-minute rumination of what it really means to grow up. 

Grade: B+

Both “Café Daughter” and “Hey, Viktor!” are currently playing at this year’s imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. The festival goes from October 17th to October 29th. Join us for continual coverage.