Rating: 3.5/5
Every summer, Gaaxuustaa ‘Laana paddle south to live alongside their relatives, the Tllda Gawaay Kii Gawaay family. Together, they prepare food for winter.
19th century Haida Gwaii An elder carves a mask. Adiitsʹii binds the handle of a knife. He sees a boat come in. On it is Adiitsʹii’s friend, Gaas. He gives Gaas the knife.
Adiitsʹii carves up a halibut he caught with Kwa, Gaas’ father. Gaas asks about a black cod. Adiitsʹii jokes about Gaas being fat, and Kwa pushes Adiitsʹii onto the rocks, scratching up his back. Kwa and Hlaaya, his wife, believe Adiitsʹii is a poor example for Gaas, as he shows disrespect.
Kwa tells Gaas about reading the sky and understanding the weather. When Gaas asks if Adiitsʹii can read the sky, Kwa reluctantly confirms. When everyone has gathered enough food for the winter, they have one last meal together. But Adiitsʹii wants to catch a black cod for Gaas and wants to bring him along. Kwa warns him that the weather will worsen and that they must leave.
The following morning, Kwa wakes up to find Adiitsʹii and Gaas missing. He attempts to take a boat out, but cannot move it. Hlaaya trusts Adiitsʹii. But as the weather worsens and they still haven’t returned, Hlaaya runs along the shore. She finds Gaas’s dead body. Adiitsʹii, horrified by his mistake, runs into the forest, where his torment changes him.
The world is as sharp as the edge of a knife; as you go along, you have to be careful or you will fall off one side or the other. — Haida proverb
The film began as an effort from the Haida filmmakers to preserve their endangered language. They worked closely with the Haida Nation to ensure the film accurately represented them before showing it to outsiders.
You can tell the actors have a tough time with the language. The major performances, however, help keep the film cohesive, especially Tyler York, who plays Adiitsʹii.
You can also tell that these are amateur filmmakers. The pacing is all over the place, and the cinematography is rough in places. The filmmakers were primarily indigenous people, though, so I understand that desire for it to be a film they make.
That said, the story is well-constructed. It is based on a traditional Haida narrative about an accident that causes a man to lose his humanity.
The film is full of symbolic imagery. For example, when Adiitsʹii runs into the wilderness, he chases fires that seem to appear and disappear. He chases them deeper in, but they are always out of reach.
The film effortlessly integrates rituals — celebration, mourning, storytelling — that help us see and understand facets of Haida culture.
I wouldn’t call this a great movie, but I’m glad it exists as a document of Haida culture.