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George Yonemori

Ancestral Catharsis: Seeds at TIFF 2024

Photo Courtesy of TIFF: Kaniehtiio Horn

Directed by: Kaniehtiio Horn

Cast: Kaniehtiio Horn, Dallas Goldtooth, Meegwun Fairbrother, Dylan Cook ,Graham Greene

Don’t you wish you could rip the skin off corporate executives who plot to poison marginalized communities for profit? What about cat killers? Indigenous actress and filmmaker Kaniehtiio Horn’s directorial debut feature film, Seeds, creates a satisfying Indigenous power fantasy. The dark comedy thriller feature follows financially insecure social media influencer and bike courier Ziggy, played by Horn, landing a lucrative deal with the ironically named corporation Nature’s Oath. Ziggy returns to her reservation at her family’s request, and her cousin Wiz (Dallas Goldtooth) tells her she has gotten in bed with the enemy. When skeevy Nature’s Oath employee Bondsman (Patrick Garrow) tries to steal her family’s precious seeds for profit, Ziggy awakens her inner badass to avenge her people.

With a brisk 82-minute runtime, Seeds keeps a fast pace with snappy dialogue. Ziggy remains a likeable lead throughout. Her solid comedic timing with co-star Goldtooth gave the film an endearing electric energy. One hilarious scene had Ziggy struggling to explain to a reservation general store owner what social media influencers are. The audience loved that. Horn is an incredible actress skilled at conveying emotional lows and exhilarating highs. Graham Greene plays himself as Ziggy’s uncle, who speaks to her through dreams. Some of the most visually stunning parts of the film are where Ziggy flashes back to see what she must protect from the corporation. Scotiabank Theatre’s immersive sound system ignited already intense action scenes. The metal and punk soundtrack gave the film a scrappy, underdog quality. The later scenes were lit poorly, detracting from the experience. 

The plot, especially Ziggy’s character, is contrived in some parts. Long after signing the deal, she researches Nature’s Oath and discovers their evil schemes explained in easily accessible articles. She is broke, so it makes sense for her to take the deal without thinking. One funny scene is aware of the ridiculousness of Greene’s character, mysteriously guiding Ziggy through dreams. The extreme ending takes the action from self-defence to outright self-righteous sadism. The rationale is that Ziggy’s ancestors’ rage allows her to do what she does despite never showing any predispositions for violence. A cross dangles from the tortured character’s neck—a bold statement. The ending was awesome, nonetheless.

Before the screening, Horn explained that the film’s priority is fun, which it accomplishes. Your tolerance level for contrivance applies here, and mine is very high. I recommend Seeds to those corporate executives and non-corporate executives alike. And it’s so refreshing to see an Indigenous story that sheds a victimhood identity. 

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