Amber-Sekowan Daniels has chosen to tell us about the end of adolescence with audacity and delicacy. Don’t Even Try! in the original English version) follows best friends Violet and Harley, respectively played by the revelations Leenah Robinson (1923) and Victoria Gwendoline (Burden of Truth), who flourish in Winnipeg in the late 1990s, with their newly acquired freedom and the uncertainties that follow one another on the eve of their entry into university.
But the show doesn’t just show us the challenges that come with coming-of-age fiction, which is plentiful in film and television. Instead, it focuses on depicting, with delightful intelligence, a pivotal moment that is too often caricatured. “I think there are a lot of other stories to tell about that middle phase, where you’re trying to figure out who you are outside of your school and your family and where you’re thinking about what you want to do with your life and all this new freedom,” says the creator ofDon’t even try!Amber-Sekowan Daniels.
Some might be tempted, wrongly, to categorize this as an “Indigenous story.” “But it’s also and above all a universal story,” warns Amber-Sekowan Daniels. While she remains no less proud of this label, the creator of the series insists on the friendship and the existential quest that are highlighted in Don’t even try!.
“I wanted people to get to know Violet and Harley as complex personalities by showing their hopes, dreams and mistakes, which is pretty rare in the comedy space,” adds the creator, who is full of praise for the interpretation of the characters she has created. “We have incredibly talented actresses who have done a great job of bringing depth to the characters,” she says. The supporting cast, notably played by Joel Oulette (Trickster), but also the filmmakers and actresses Gail Maurice (Rosie) and Jennifer Podemski (Little Bird), also reinforce the power of the story.
Winnipeg, my love
And what about the various locations in Winnipeg, which also play a crucial role? “Winnipeg is actually a central character inDon’t even try! “, says the creator. The city she comes from, with its iconic streets and buildings, becomes, in fact, much more than just a setting for the adventures of the two friends. “What we visit in the series is very important, especially from a community perspective,” says Amber-Sekowan Daniels, particularly in reference to an episode that takes place in a downtown shopping mall where she spent a lot of time. Thanks no doubt to the direction of Zoe Hopkins, the series manages to capture the essence of Manitoba’s capital.
“I’ve always thought it was a really fascinating and unique place, especially as an Indigenous person,” says Amber-Sekowan Daniels. Winnipeg is home to the largest Indigenous population in Canada, with 102,080 people, and a total population of about 800,000, according to Statistics Canada’s 2021 census. “When I think of someone growing up in Winnipeg, I think of an urban centre that’s culturally rich and connected to our communities,” she says. The storytelling, rooted in places that are meaningful to the creator and that resonate on screen, reinforces the show’s authenticity. “What’s great about Winnipeg is that even though it’s set in the 1990s, the city hasn’t changed that much,” she notes.
The touch of humor in Don’t even try! is finally carefully calibrated to balance the heavier, more introspective moments inherent in late adolescence. “I think we can do and say a lot of powerful things with humor,” believes Amber-Sekowan Daniels. The comedic moments, far from being escapes, therefore serve to offer a refreshing counterpoint to the intimate dramas they are going through. “Laughter has always been a big part of my upbringing and culture and I couldn’t have told these stories from any other perspective,” she says.
Because mainstream Indigenous coming-of-age comedies are still relatively uncommon in the North American audiovisual landscape, Amber-Sekowan Daniels hopes to help democratize them. “We’re starting to get more of them, but I think we need to go further to continue the discussions,” she explains.
Don’t even try! will she be there Reservation Dogs Canadian? Despite several notable variations, such as the fact that Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi’s series is set on an American reservation and not in a city, Amber-Sekowan Daniels also explores late adolescence from a new angle, in light of the context of Indigenous communities and culture. “It necessarily puts a different perspective on things,” she concludes.