YANKEE, 87min., Canada, Drama
Directed by Stéphan Beaudoin
Skylar, a poverty-stricken American girl, is illegally hiding in Canada following a family tragedy in her hometown near Albany, in upstate New York.
Taken in by her French-speaking cousin Kev, a small drug dealer living in the Quebec city of Drummondville, Skylar now finds herself indebted towards him. Having to survive, she is extremely limited in her options.
Wanting to avoid prostitution, Skylar surrenders to pressure from Kev to participate in illicit fights. Although she possesses certain aptitudes for combat, she fails miserably on her first attempt.
Seeing an opportunity to turn Skylar’s skills into a possibility for quick cash, Kev seeks a “coach” to improve his cousin’s natural fighting skills. He approaches one of his clients, Chuck, a renowned ex-fighter, with an offer : in return for Skylar’s training, and only if it results in a victory, Kev will rid Chuck of a considerable drug debt.
Still psychologically affected by a fight gone awry, Chuck is reluctant, but eventually agrees to train Skylar. This particular trio, longing for self-esteem and perverted in their intimate relationships, will now have one common goal: to win the next fight. The more they prepare for it, the more they will all get bogged down in their own personal battles.
As Skylar and Chuck get closer, Kev’s enduring sentiments for his cousin come to light, jeopardizing their fragile plan.
Yankee sheds an under light to violence, revealing the story of a girl trapped in the vicious cycle of aggression and who, in by trying to escape, gets trapped into its spiral.