by SARAH ROWLAND

Separately, Mohawk Girls and No More Tears Sister aren’t worth the cost of admission. For starters, they both clock in at around the one-hour mark, but more importantly you can probably catch either of them on The Passionate Eye on any Sunday (if you haven’t already). Which could explain why the Cinéma du Parc has decided to screen these two NFB docs together on a double bill: more bang for your buck.

In No More Tears Sister: Anatomy of Hope and Betrayal, director Helene Klodawsky looks back on the life and death of Dr. Rajani, a human rights activist who fought to end the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and was consequently assassinated. Through reenactments, rare footage and interviews with her family, Klodawsky not only retells Rajani’s harrowing story, but also gives a thorough breakdown of the political climate in South Asia during the ’70s and ’80s.

From revolutions to the reserve, we have Mohawk Girls. Inspired by her own high school experience, Montreal director Tracey Deer follows three teens living on the Kahnawake Native reserve as they deal with the daily pull between tradition and the opportunities that await them in the “outside world.”

There’s Felicia, an overweight wrestler with anger-management issues and a rare eye disease that doctors predict will leave her completely blind by the age of 24. She’s sick of giving her friends birth-control lectures and keeps sabotaging her grades for fear of moving forward in life. Then we have Amy, who has just recently pulled her academic act together after surviving a sexual assault that left her emotionally unfit for school. Raised by her grandparents, her dream is that her parents will be able to stay in the same room together long enough to attend her graduation.

And then there’s Lauren, who faces racial discrimination and “half-breed” catcalls. She attends an off-reserve private school and wants to change the status system so that people aren’t granted First Nations privileges according to their bloodline, but rather by their dedication to keeping native culture alive. Despite the bland production value, Deer manages to paint an intimate portrait of these challenged yet spirited girls. Certainly not mind-blowing by any means, but coupled with No More Tears, it makes for an al-right night at the movies.

Mohawk Girls and No More Tears Sister open at the Cinéma du Parc Friday, April 14

>> Movie Listings