The Grizzlies (2019) on Netflix
Russ Sheppard takes a job teaching history in Kugluktuk, Nunavut, to pay off his student debt. He introduces lacrosse to his Inuit students, hoping it gives them a sense of purpose.
- Watch on NetflixThis title is not on Netflix right now. Please check back later for updates.
- Watch on Prime
- Watch on NordVPN
- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb7.5/103,039 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes87%
Trailer
Plot summary
The Arctic town of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, has lost teenagers to suicide, and its new history teacher, Russ Sheppard, meets absent students, misunderstandings and a fist fight with a student named Zach. Principal Janace says the community's struggles come from a culture that puts family first and school last. Russ took the job to pay off his college debt while he waits for an offer from a prep school. He decides a lacrosse team could give his students belonging and purpose, but nobody signs up. Miranda Atatahak tells him to recruit Zach and Adam, an absentee who hunts with his elders, and Russ pays Zach twenty dollars to attend one practice and bring classmates. The practice succeeds and the sessions continue.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Grizzlies (2019)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Emerald MacDonald, the actress who played Miranda in the film, was found murdered outside a cabin in Kugluktuk, Nunavut, on May 3, 2021. She was the sister of producer Stacey Aglok MacDonald and had last been seen in Kugluktuk on April 30, buying supplies for a weekend at her family's cabin.
- In 2004, Major League Lacrosse founder Jake Steinfeld watched an ESPN Sports Center segment about the real Kugluktuk Grizzlies, tracked down the teacher Russ Sheppard, met the original students in Denver, and hired Frank Marshall as executive producer and Miranda de Pencier as director.
- Over 600 Inuit and First Nation youths from Nunavut and the Northwest Territories auditioned for the film, and more than 91% of the cast and more than 33% of the crew identified themselves as Inuit or First Nation.
