Hair of the Bear follows a girl called Tori (Malia Baker) who goes to live with her granddad, Ben (Roy Dupuis). Ben lives in the wild, in a cabin surrounded by snow. Here she learns skills and her grandad’s way of living out in the wild. They come across a young man whose brother is injured and decide to help. Unknown to them is that these people are very dangerous.

Hair of the Bear was a good film that was very surprising at times. I did not expect it to take the turn that it did, and it felt like three different genres put into one film. This was a clever aspect, and even though the first part of the film was quite slow, it helped set up things that became important later on in the second half. The film starts with Tory living with Ben, and Ben teaching her his ways of living and surviving in the cabin in the snow. In the middle of the movie, the film turns into more of a survival story, and in the last part, it completely changes again and becomes a revenge action film.

I thought this was very clever because it is rare for a film to successfully combine so many different genres and tones. The story also did a good job of making the viewer feel cold, just like the characters. Because of the snowy, icy setting, you almost feel cold while watching it. I was invested in the characters throughout. The cast is very small, but they all have great chemistry together and are all fantastic.

One of the highlights of the film is Baker, who shines as Tory and showcases her talented acting abilities. There is a surprising fight scene that turns into a torture scene, and you can clearly see the pain across her face and hear the raw intensity in her screams. It feels very real and intense.  Baker is young, so it was great to see her take on a role like this that is completely different from anything she has done before. I also loved how you could see Tory’s facial expression change so much throughout the film. She goes through so many emotions — fear and vulnerability, to sadness and heartbreak, and finally to determination and a desire for revenge.

Baker gives such a strong and powerful performance. Another thing I liked about Tory is that although she tries to act tough and brave, the film does a good job of reminding the audience that she is still just a teenage girl especially for the final scene. I also couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ben. Although he can be strict at times, it is clear that he cares deeply. Dupuis portrays his character as tough but kind-hearted, which adds depth and emotion to his character. The fight scenes are good, and many surprising moments create tension throughout the film. I also thought the film handled violence well. Despite having a torture scene and several intense moments, it does not rely on excessive gore. Instead, it focuses more on the characters’ facial expressions and emotions rather than explicitly showing everything, which makes the scenes feel even more powerful and impactful.

Unfortunately, the film has quite a slow start and takes a while to fully get going, which makes the first part feel dragged out at times. Another issue is that you never really learn much about the characters. I would have liked more background on all four of the main characters, as it often felt like we did not truly understand them on a deeper level. I also do not remember the film clearly explaining what the two brothers wanted or what their main motive was.

If it was mentioned, it was very brief, because their reasons were not memorable. I think the story would have been stronger if their motivations had been made clearer. In addition, the opening and closing shots did not fully make sense to me or connect clearly to the rest of the film. Maybe that was just my interpretation, but they felt slightly out of place., Although the final battle was intense and well done, it felt a little rushed and somewhat unrealistic, especially in the way one of the characters died!

Overall, Hair of the Bear is a good and unique film, even if it takes some time to fully draw you in and leaves characters underdeveloped. Its tense atmosphere, well-executed twist, and surprising shocking moments make it a rewarding watch. The cast performances are great, with Baker shining in the lead role—both physically and emotionally powerful, she carries the film with remarkable strength and presence that one could say is a little like a bear!

Hair of the Bear is now playing in Canada.