The timing of Blood Quantum was bad in that the Canadian film was scheduled to have a theatrical release now. The timing of Blood Quantum was good in that this is a film for this time.
We were impressed with Jeff Barnaby in Rhymes for Young Ghouls. The premise of Blood Quantum was intriguing: a zombie existence where indigenous people were immune.
Traylor (Michael Greyeyes) is the law authority on the Red Crow Mi'gmaq reservation. We see him battling odd reports such as salmon flipping around once their guts have been removed. White people are turning into zombies and attacking people. The zombies are biting the indigenous people but they don't turn into zombies.
Joseph and Lysol are sons of Traylor from different mothers. Joss (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) is Joseph's mom and Traylor's ex-wife. Lysol's mother isn't around. He is the unstable character within the reservation with lots of anger issues.
Olivia Scriven, who played Josh Wiggins' little sister in Giant Little Ones, plays Charlie, the pregnant girlfriend of Joseph. As they discover that indigenous people are immune, she wonders, as someone who is not indigenous, if her baby is going to eat her. That twist is one of many good reasons to see this film.
The cast also includes Brandon Oakes and Devery Jacobs, who both appeared in Rhymes for Young Ghouls. Both films are set at the Red Crow Mi'kmaq reservation: Rhymes for Young Ghouls in 1976 and Blood Quantum in 1981.
You might have seen Tailfeathers in The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, which she also co-directed.
Canadian film review: Rhymes for Young Ghouls
Canadian film review: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open
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CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
With Les Affames | Ravenous, I am getting used to more zombie films as long as they are Canadian. There are plenty of "good" zombie killings. The people recognise that aiming for the head is the key. As Gisigu (Stonehorse Lone Goeman) said "You don't have to reload a sword."
Barnaby likes stark, realistic portrayals in his films. The stories are not easy to tell or sometimes to follow. His characters feel real and you want to follow them where they go.
Blood Quantum is really a pair of films with the first third of the film being distinct from the final two-thirds. The excitement of the first part is a contrast to the slower pace of the second part.
Zombie fans might fast forward through the story, which is unfortunate. Even with being immune, the people still struggle in the zombie battle. There are stories we don't normally get to hear and they are important. If you are on the other end of the scale and like the story but not the killings, they aren't that gruesome. Still not a fan of zombie killings and I could handle them in the film.
Blood Quantum finished as the second runner-up of the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
Blood Quantum is available internationally outside Canada through the Shudder streaming service and Crave in Canada.
video credit: YouTube/Shudder
photo credit: Blood Quantum film
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