Those who have read my reviews over the years have probably noticed the complete lack of commentary on English-language Canadian cinema. For the majority of my life, cinema has served as a lens into other places and cultures. I even weigh my affinity for other places almost completely on the output of their filmmakers. Canadian films should be easy for me to relate to, but generally come off feeling more foreign to my experience than anything from outside North America. Afraid to upset, upend or stand out at all, the films of my country come off as polite and inauthentic in an misguided reach for profit. The money isn’t there and when it is, the hollowness is obvious. I named my review blog Crossing Borders specifically for this reason, as a Canadian cineaste, I have rarely had a film experience that made me proud of the country I was born in. Today that has completely changed.

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open by Elle-Máijá Apiniskim Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn is an astonishing and groundbreaking work of art that extends beyond the boundaries of our humble country and speaks to universal themes of heritage, womanhood, class and displacement. The journey of two indigenous woman across the rainswept streets of Vancouver’s Downtown East-Side plays out in a single breath-taking sequence (Actually 13 sequences stitched together to give the illusion of a single real-time shot) and manages to be both an exhilarating experience and a deeply humanistic portrait of a group of people that is in desperate need of an honest portrayal in film.

Rosie (Violet Nelson) sits near the front of a downtown bus as Áila (Writer and co-director Tailfeathers) enters and makes her way towards the back. We follow Rosie home where she lives with her boyfriend and his mother. It is clear her home is a place of unrest, as we catch a brief glance of her partner and hear his angry yelling from the living room. Rosie holds her pregnant belly and quietly waits for things to blow over. Meanwhile we return to Áila in a doctor’s office. The intimate tone of the film is set as she disrobes in private, hiding her underwear in her folded jeans. The doctor comments that her name sounds Polynesian and seems unconvinced when she informs him that it is Scandinavian. After a brief discussion of her medical history, she is given an IUD.

On her way home Áila comes across Rosie, barefoot and upset, her boyfriend swearing at her from a block away. Panicked, Áila convinces Rosie to come with her and invites her into her home. She gives her some tea and dry clothes. A moment with Áila trying to find appropriate clothes, while trying to calm herself after the disturbing escape highlights the immediate, visible differences between the two women. The sequence inside of Áila’s apartment is tense and cringe-inducing as she struggles to bridge the divide separating them. Áila’s accent changes, she mention’s her grandmother, she tries to relate her own experience of growing up on the Blood Reserves to Rosie’s. The invisible barrier between them holds strong as Áila tries to convince Rosie to go with her to a safe-house and can’t seem to understand her reticence to take any kind of support.

There is a brave statement being made here about privilege. As a visibly indigenous woman, Rosie has experienced a much darker side of the system than Áila, who is of a half Sami and affluent background. Considering this film is based off of Tailfeather’s actual experience, and she plays a heightened version of herself, this is an incredibly brave and honest performance. The clarity and lack of ego bleeds into the entire film. The Body Remembers sits gracefully in a moral gray area. There is a deep felt respect and love for the two women and a complete lack of judgment. Áila offers a lot of advice to Rosie through the film and it is often met with resistance.  She has the best intentions, but is unable to see the affect of her words. A lesser film would resort to caricatures, or perhaps a moment where the unprivileged person puts the other in their place. Instead we are left to hear the echoes of this history without being spoon fed some kind of easy-to-digest moral. The filmmakers ask more questions than they answer, but this happens with the knowledge that it isn’t their responsibility to answer those questions.

I could go on for hours about every scene in this film. A variety of locations and tones rush by in gorgeously shot 16mm with a soft blue tint and splashes of pink, and purple and orange. Violet Nelson’s performance is more genuine and controlled than you could ever expect a first time performer. Generally a director uses context and editing to help the performances of non-actors. Here Violet is asked to perform long sequences of dialogue and movement and she does so with confidence, grace and a natural sense of being. Rosie’s quiet demeanor is accented with a sharp tongue and she is responsible for the film’s most biting lines and warmest moments. Hepburn and Tailfeathers deserve credit for creating a safe and authentic environment where the performance could flourish. 

This film eschews sentimentality and yet managed to leave me completely emotionally shaken. This has to be commended. Rather than manipulating the audience into feeling big emotions, The Body Remembers draws out those emotions through careful attention to detail and a soft, feminine eye. A final exchange in a dark taxi provides a moment of incredible catharsis as the two characters exchange the same compliment. We can barely make out their faces, but the emotional weight of the scene resonates long after the credits have rolled. I’ve had a pit in my stomach all day.

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open is currently my favourite film of the year and perhaps my favourite Canadian film ever.