The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open was a film we noticed when the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival lineup was announced. Didn't think I would see the film so quickly.
The story follows indigenous women from very different sociological backgrounds: Áila (co-director Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) and Rosie (Violet Nelson). An early shot of Áila getting health care is telling: her Sámi blood makes her more light-skinned. The doctor asks if Áila is a Polynesian name; she replies that the name is Scandinavian.
Áila responds when she sees a man screaming Rosie's name. Áila suspects Rosie is a victim of domestic abuse. Áila is from a higher class than Rosie. Even when the two women meet, Rosie is uncertain about wanting help from Áila.
Except for the opening shots, most of this film is in a single shot, opening up the intimacy between the worlds these women inhabit. We also see the harsh reality of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
The elaborate film title stems from a Billy-Ray Belcourt essay about carrying the past with us.
The Joni Mitchell song Little Green plays a significant role in the film.
2019 TIFF Canadian film wrapup
2019 TIFF preview
2019 TIFF Canadian film preview
The film is a quiet film, which usually means not much happens. There is a lot that happens with building tension portrayed in a subtle fashion as details about the women become apparent. The film is also shot with very little light, so paying attention is crucial. When the women are together but not in the same place, which one the camera follows speaks a lot to what is more important. Kathleen Hepburn, co-director of this film, also directed Never Steady, Never Still, a quiet film of its own that said a lot.
The film speaks to the need to help someone who is reluctant to want help. Bring your patience to this film and you will learn a lot.
TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2019
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open made the list for TIFF's Top Ten Canadian film list for 2019. The film also won the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award from the Toronto Film Critics Association.
Ava DuVernay's Array is distributing the film, which is part of why the film is getting more attention.
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open is currently available in the United States on Netflix.
video credit: YouTube/TIFF Trailers
photo credit: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open film
Comments