Thanks for sharing. Based on the synopsis posted, I can relate to the themes expressed in this movie. Although the rural Cape Bretoners (especially in the Western Cape Breton, in the CB Highlands and along the Bras D'or lakes) are doing a good job of keeping the music and Gaidhlig traditions alive, I come from the coal mining town of Glace Bay. The local coal mines and steel plant are now closed, the fishery has taken a real hit and people are displaced. Unemployment is a serious problem and residents are being forced to look elsewhere (like Toronto, Alberta etc...) for work. Meanwhile, a lot of locals feel like they've been reduced to a tartan, scenery and fiddle stereotype designed to cater to tourists. It's fine for a Celtic musician like me who is connected to that and who is part of the kilt wearing minority, but what about the rock guitarist or the coal miner's son who wouldn't know a jig from a reel but could rebuild your car engine for you in their back yard. That's to say nothing of the family plagued by social ills like alcoholism or Oxycodone addiction.

I'm torn on the issue. While I feel proud to wear the kilt and have since I was a child, there are many MacVicars, Camerons, MacLeans and Fraziers etc...in Cape Breton to whom there is little connection to tartanry and the like, probably viewing it as an anachronistic affectation more appropriate as a uniform for pipers, soldiers and Highland dancers.

Even many of the Gaelic speakers who are steeped in the music and culture don't go for kilts, seeing them as an easily accessible substitute for the real and endangered Scottish Gaelic culture.

It seems like Scotland and Cape Breton have shared a parallel history and not just an historic connection. When I watch movies set in modern Scotland, I'm always struck by the similarities. In my town, there are many Scots who go their whole lives and will never wear a kilt. It's kind of a frivolous purchase for a working class person some of whom will wear a suit at their own wedding and their own funeral. These people are just as Scottish/Cape Breton as I am.

I'm looking forward to seeing this movie. I think it will hit home. Kudos to the film maker for showing the world the difference between the real and imaginary life in Scotland.