by Charles Kirkland, Jr.
After a massive loss, an overwhelmed Toronto mother discovers a very unusual way to process her grief
in Village Keeper.
Jean is the overprotective single provider of her two teen children, Tamika and Tristin. Much to her
dismay she also lives with her mother in a crowded Lawrence Heights apartment complex. Despite the
kids learning to become more self-sufficient, Jean’s vision is too clouded by the past to see that they’re
growing. She is haunted by violence in both their past and their present and is desperate to find ways to
help her children cope with the brutal reality of this world.
Village Keeper is written and directed by Karen Chapman. This is her first feature length film. Before
this film, Chapman has made her mark directing episodic television and short films. Maybe it’s because
feature-length of her work in the short form, that Chapman takes no delays in getting to the point of this film.
Village Keeper is a character study that explores the difficulty for a single mother to not only raise
children but take care of her aging mother while at the same time attempting to keep herself sane and
protected. Chapman creates an engaging and intimate portrait of a Black woman coming to grips with
her trauma while not trying to pass that trauma on.
Olunike Adeliyi plays Jean with an unstable surety that is strong and sincere. It is impossible for Jean not
to be believed and cared for by the audience because of the exquisite performance by Adeliyi. Yet she
does it so effortlessly, that it can easily be overlooked how much work she does in the film. Because of her
work, the audience truly rejoices in Jean discovering her joy.
With Village Keeper as her first dramatic feature, writer-director Karen Chapman creates an emotional
and authentic study of a single mother trying to hold herself together. Expertly using sound and
flashbacks to construct a layered and full portrait of this woman’s life, Chapman reveals the trials and
tribulations that women in Jean’s family carry with them.
Grade: B-