THE STORY – Exploring the complex bond between two half brothers — one Indigenous, one white — traveling from the present in isolated Shamattawa to bustling 1980s Toronto.
THE CAST – Seth Scriver & Peter Scriver
THE TEAM – Seth Scriver & Peter Scriver (Directors/Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 97 Minutes
Peter and Seth Scriver’s animated documentary, “Endless Cookie,” offers an insightful exploration of what creates a tight-knit, lovable family, transcending race and class in Canada. The directors, who are half-brothers, use the medium as a way to reflect on their domestic life. Although they share the same father, Seth was born to a white mother and lives in Toronto, while Peter’s mother is a member of the Cree community from the Shamattawa First Nation, where he resides.
Despite living on opposite sides of Canada, the half-brothers maintain strong communication and a close bond. This is evident in the film’s opening, where the experienced animator Seth checks in on Peter after the fire at his teepee zone. Seth gives Peter a co-director credit and is open to incorporating Peter’s ideas into the film.
As the half-brothers showcase their creative process – comparing participants’ real-life experiences with their animated representations and recording stories that are humorously interrupted by a relative’s toilet flush – we see the complexities of their lives. They are navigating the challenges of raising nine kids and several dogs while producing content that includes parodies of American media, such as “Who Doesn’t Want to Be Poor” and “Canadian Idol,” along with personal testimonies.
Seth leads the animation team for “Endless Cookie.” While the main human traits that translate from reality to animation are hair and eye colors, each character features a unique nose shape and color, giving them an appearance similar to non-threatening creatures. This variety in shapes and designs suggests that everyone is special in their own way. Although the Scriver family members who live with Peter in Shamattawa share common experiences, they hold differing interests and perspectives on the world. Seth also made the project a family affair, as his relatives Kristen and Simone contributed graphics for the film.
Although the film has a relaxed atmosphere, set mainly in Peter’s home in the remote Shamattawa, it features a multitude of characters that can obscure the narrative’s direction. While it’s essential for the Scrivers to highlight the vibrancy of their lives, they could have benefited from a central storyline to maintain the focus on their journey in making the film. Instead of using vignette-style sequences—such as Peter’s fishing stories or Seth wandering around Peter’s residence—that don’t connect in later scenes, a main narrative could provide more coherence. Seth and Peter face the challenge of avoiding the common pitfalls of a hangout movie, where the struggle often lies in making mundane moments entertaining while revealing the unique qualities of an everyday space to outsiders.
Ultimately, “Endless Cookie” succeeds primarily because it keeps the story simple, which was one of Seth’s goals when he presented the film idea to the organization that partially funded the Scrivers. While they could have focused on the filmmaking process or rebuilding the teepee, showcasing the Scriver family proves to be a wonderful gift. They radiate love, curiosity, and wit through their daily observations, which are also reflected in their animated personas. During the Q&A session at Sundance, Peter revealed there are no cinemas in Shamattawa. For him, making this film is not only about celebrating the joyful aspects of existence but also about challenging one-sided narratives about Indigenous communities. It serves as a message to the people of Shamattawa, demonstrating that it is possible to create visual stories with the resources at hand.
