Prime Video 'Three Pines': Alfred Molina praises Tracey Deer's direction on episodes focused on residential schools

As the Prime Video series Three Pines from Amazon Studios continues, the two episodes being released on Dec. 9, directed by Tracey Deer, are an exploration of the intergeneration trauma of residential schools in Canada.

“I felt that because of [Tracey Deer], we were able to handle that storyline with some dignity and some respect, and sensitivity, which I think is important,” series lead Alfred Molina told Yahoo Canada.

“The two episodes that Tracey directed really take that subject head on...and that needed to be dealt with in a way that was not just sensitive, but also positive. That something powerfully good could come out of it, even if it's just a deeper level of understanding, a deeper knowledge, perhaps.”

'Something that happened to you as a child, we carry that our whole lives'

In the two newest episodes of Three Pines, episodes three and four, we begin by seeing the people of this town attempt to burn down a home that is a former residential school, but things don't go as planned. Gamache (Molina), along with Sgt. Isabelle Lacoste (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) and Sgt. Jean-Guy Beauvoir (Rossif Sutherland), are investigating a missing person case, with a man found dead buried in the crawl space of the property. This is alongside the overarching investigation of the case of a missing Indigenous woman, Blue Two-Rivers (Anna Lambe).

“It's about intergenerational trauma and the fact that something that happened to you as a child, we carry that our whole lives,” Tracey Deer told Yahoo Canada about the two episodes she directed. “These issues are very, very close to all of us, and we're all connected to them in different ways."

“Those were really heavy, scary days for me, to tell those parts of the story that really, our community's still hurting in such a profound way. I don't ever want storytelling to be exploitive,...I want it to add to healing and for me, the part that is healing about the show is to bring that awareness to the world about what happened.”

As part of the Three Pines production, there were a number of supports in place throughout the shoot, including having an Indigenous social worker and psychological counselling available.

"We had an Indigenous social worker from another neighbouring community, Mohawk as well, who came in to start the day, give a traditional Mohawk opening, start the day off on the right foot," Deer explained. "That's really important to me. I've done that with all of my work...to set the tone for the whole team, so that everyone understood the magnitude of the day ahead of us."

"Oftentimes, the crew don't necessarily know what we're shooting that day, they get there to do their job and as we go, they're finding out 'oh this is what the scene is about.' So making sure we knew at the top of the day what we were taking on, and the care and sensitivity that we had to carry throughout the day, was so important."

These episodes also introduce significant personal details about the character of Bea, played by legendary Canadian actor Tantoo Cardinal, and that character's connection to Canada's residential school system.

“Tantoo brings her own history and her own stories, and her own family connection to that, I brought my own," Deer said. "Really, when we were working together and finding our way through this, it was with a lot of vulnerability and a lot of sharing, and holding on to each other."

"It's a lot of self-imposed pressure to put this story out there and want to do right by my people, and there were a few moments where I was just hit with it, and she was there for me, and likewise when she is sitting in the hot seat.”

'These stories belong to people who are living their lives'

For Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, the way the actor stayed "grounded" while filming Three Pines, including these episodes in particular, was tapping into these human stories and staying connected to her family.

"The way that I stayed grounded and connected was remembering that these are human stories, these stories belong to people who are living their lives out in the world, and we have a responsibility to those people who have these experiences," Tailfeathers said.

"I connected personally, in a lot of ways, to the material itself and so that was obviously challenging emotionally and spiritually, but I try and stay grounded in my community and my culture, and my family. I found ways to sort of get home if I could and see my family, and remember the good and the strength and the hope."

The actor added that Three Pines doesn't just depict the trauma of these atrocious realities of Canada's history, but the series also highlights "moments of joy."

"The show is not just the stories of tragedy and trauma and pain, which is something that so many audiences, non-Indigenous audiences, gravitate towards," Tailfeathers said. "I think that there's something more to the show in terms of showing the hope and the humanity, and the love and moments of joy."

"Those were also ways that I sort of got through, was grounding myself in that as well, because to feel joy, as an Indigenous person, is quite a radical thing, given that we shouldn't even be here after everything that's happened to us... Witnessing Tracey work was fantastic, and she was always somebody I could reach out to and sort of talk through the material with."

For Deer, she hopes that Three Pines allows the Indigenous audience to feel "listened to."

“For so long we've been invisible and with that invisibility comes holding on to all of that pain," Deer said. "Building that empathy and building that understanding so that everyday people get more involved in wanting to make sure these atrocities and these injustices don't happen again."

"When an Indigenous audience sees those scenes and sees the story, yes there's going to be pain, we're going to feel it,...but I hope that there's also a relief that comes as well, that finally we're being listened to.”