Though Night Raiders is set in a future dystopian world, the story is really about the reality of residential schools told in a way that may seem more approachable for a film.
Harbouring any minor is a crime in this dystopian world. The age to start in the faceless academy has gone from 5 to 4 years old. This doesn't stop Niska (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) and her 12-year-old daughter Waseese (Brooklyn Letexier-Hart) from surviving in the bush for years. When Waseese gets her foot caught in a bear trap, Niska has to decide whether to surrender her daughter for her health.
They rename Waseese as Elizabeth, which relates back to the reality Indigenous people had in Canada. Niska works to get her out of the academy. She runs across Cree people, of which she is one, who are working to help kids find a better life.
The fact that Niska struggles with her Cree language is entirely relevant to the reality of those taken away to residential schools.
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Brooklyn Letexier-Hart are tremendous on screen. The cast features Violet Nelson, who co-starred with Tailfeathers in The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, and Gail Maurice, who was in Trickster, a show Goulet worked on as a consulting producer.
The film also features New Zealand actor Alex Tarrant and American actor Amanda Plummer. Night Raiders is a Canada-New Zealand co-production. Taika Waititi is one of the executive producers on the film.
Canadian film review: Code 8
Canadian film review: Level 16
Night Raiders succeeds mostly when you are aware of the history of Indigenous people in Canada. Danis Goulet, who wrote and directed her first feature film, has a lot to say, and most of it works.
The dystopia part of the film is where the film struggles. The whole kidnapping of children in a dystopia society is handled poorly in the script. Everything is so gray so the impact gets lost. They are bad and that is all. Level 16 and Code 8, very different Canadian films, each gave some logic behind a dystopian world, something where Night Raiders fails.
Niska is given a choice, a second opportunity. This point in the plot feels hollow and 1-dimensional, serving as a very unneeded distraction.
Goulet does pound home some points in case you don't know the history. Still, a good sized section of the audience is not going to know the symbolism before or during the film.
The film struggles as a pure dystopian film, but is better if you know the background of Indigenous children in residential schools.
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Night Raiders is not a perfect film. The good parts are really good and worth the watch. Goulet has a great story that hits a roadblock or two.
TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2021
Night Raiders made the Toronto International Film Festival Top 10 list for 2021. The film has been featured in theatres in Canada and available on demand in the United States.
video credit: YouTube/Movie Coverage
photo credit: Night Raiders film
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