Book to movie, 9: The Outside Circle

Every four weeks, I will be writing about a book that I think could make a great movie.

The Outside Circle by Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Author) and Kelly Mellings (Illustrator) is an immensely important graphic novel. It follows the lives of two Indigenous brothers, Pete and Joey. After a deadly fight with their mother's boyfriend, Pete ends up in prison. After a fight, Pete becomes determined to turn his life around. This is not an easy journey and he eventually seeks out help, including Indigenous healing circles and ceremonies.

The Outside Circle is powerfully, honestly, and unflinchingly written by an expert. LaBoucane-Benson had, at the time of writing, twenty years of work on healing and reconciliation of gang-affiliated and/or incarcerated Indigenous men under her belt.

I think it could make an important and poignant movie because of the issues it tackles--poverty, drug abuse, gang violence, and historical and generational trauma--the characters it portrays, and the number of people it could speak to.

While it is a graphic novel, I imagine it as a live action movie as I think it would be best to see all of the expressions etc. that a live actor can portray.

The Outside Circle by Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Author) and Kelly Mellings (Illustrator), House of Anansi Press


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