By Sarah Kurchak

Dir: Madison Thomas. Canada, 2022. What is 90 minutes compared to a 60 year career as vital and influential as Buffy Sainte-Marie. You could easily dedicate that much time to any single aspect of her story—like her early folk career, her activism, her groundbreaking appearances on Sesame Street, her groundbreaking efforts to create opportunities and proper representation for Indigenous actors, her groundbreaking work in digital media, her advocacy for Indigenous youth in education and the arts, her reflections on her life, her FBI file and radio blacklisting, her philosophies, her current career, or her influence on multiple generations of artists and activists—and still have to leave an embarrassment of riches on the cutting room floor.

So it’s a thoroughly impressive feat that Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On manages to tackle all of the above and more—and to do so in a way that never feels superficial or rushed. Using a mix of archival performance and interview footage, extensive new interviews with Sainte-Marie herself and a comprehensive collection of artistic peers, fellow activists, relations, media experts, and members of the generations she’s inspired (who can also be considered her peers, given how relevant her current artistic and activist output is), director Madison Thomas pieces together a thorough and thoughtful portrait of an unparalleled artist.

Sainte-Marie’s open and reflective interviews give viewers insight into her life and work through her eyes. Commentary from the people who have been touched by her as a person, an artist, and an activist provides context that helps to illustrate just how brilliant and important she is. And the clips of performances allow us to experience a taste of that genius for ourselves.

It could well leave you wanting more, but not due to any failings on the documentary’s part. Carry It On simply gives you such a good taste that it’ll make you want to dig deeper or revisit all things Buffy Sainte-Marie. 4/5 stars.