Twelve-year-old Beans is on the edge. Torn between innocent childhood and delinquent adolescence, she is forced to grow up fast to become the tough Mohawk warrior that she needs to be during the Indigenous uprising known as The Oka Crisis, which tore Quebec and Canada apart for 78 tense days in the summer of 1990.
For in-depth thoughts on Beans, please see my colleague Julia Tong’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Beans comes to Blu-Ray in an AVC encoded transfer courtesy of MVD Entertainment that is simply lovely. The film showcase some suburban and rural landscapes that really pop in high definition. Not only do the textural details render cleanly, but the lush greenery leaps off the screen while other earth tones in the setting render naturally. This presentation is quite gorgeous and offers a stable image quality throughout. The visual majesty of the film translates well on disc with most shots looking stable and breathtaking. There is no evidence of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances outside a very minor bit in the darkest sections of the film. Skin tones look natural throughout the runtime. I do not see how this disc could have been improved significantly. Fans of the film should not be disappointed.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 track that conjures a very unnerving mood that transports you into this story. This is a not an action film, but the track does come alive with the environmental sounds and other elements during some frightening and kinetic moments. The score is showcased beautifully here with a gently enveloping use of the surround speakers. The dialogue comes through crystal clear without ever being overpowered by the environmental effects or the score. The sound design presents with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. This is not an action-heavy film so the activity in the low end is not continuous, but the music gives a bit of a punch along with some chaotic developments. This is a lovely sounding release that brings the movie to life perfectly.
Special Features
- The Making Of Beans: Five brief supplemental featurettes totaling nine minutes which explores the origins of the story, showing the importance of women in this tale, the process of recreating a traumatic event on screen, the chemistry of the ensemble, and the journey to get this film made.
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- A Story Of Resistance
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- A Story Told By Women
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- Recollections Of A Trauma
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- The Cast
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- The Production
- Photo Gallery: A collection of stills from the film along with behind-the-scenes photos.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Beans is a remarkable debut feature from Tracey Deer which takes a painful memory and turns it into something powerful and captivating. Indigenous stories are rarely given the spotlight they deserve, so it feels especially special to have one executed so well here. The ensemble of this piece is extremely talented and deliver knockout performances all around, especially young Kiawentiio. MVD Entertainment and FilmRise have released a Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation and couple of brief supplemental features. Any fan of independent cinema should make an effort to track this one down as soon as possible. Recommended
Beans is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
