The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

2019 Directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Kathleen Hepburn

When Áila encounters a young Indigenous woman, barefoot and crying in the rain on the side of a busy street, she soon discovers that this young woman, Rosie, has just escaped a violent assault at the hands of her boyfriend. Áila decides to bring Rosie home with her and over the course of the evening, the two navigate the aftermath of this traumatic event.

Violet Nelson Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers Charlie Hannah Barbara Eve Harris Sonny Surowiec Jay Cardinal Villeneuve Tony Massil Aidan Dee James Angus Cowan Anthony Bolognese Anesha Bailey Lissa Neptuno Charles Jarman Paul Jarrett Glenn Cho Joan Boisjoly Angel Thomas

105 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Sean Baker 8

Very interesting film about a subject I'm passionate about. I happen to be spending time in the neighborhood this was shot in right now. Filmmakers Kathleen Hepburn and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers were kind enough to share a link with me before it hits TIFF and hopefully theaters later this year.
I found the depictions pretty accurate and the film is definitely coming from a good place -- interested in exploring the cycle of abuse and trauma. A miasma of despair most definitely looms over the world of the film.
Almost the entire film is a one take (and supposedly has hidden cuts yet they are impossible to spot). Cinematographer Norm Li (Beyond the Black Rainbow) does a fantastic job with non-jarring hand-held and from what I can tell, mostly natural lighting. Shot on Super 16mm.
Arri 416 Plus on Super16mm
Kodak 7219 500T
Hawk VLite16 1.3x Anamorphic Lenses
Scanned on Arriscan at 2K
Watched a Vimeo link
Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★½ 9

The worst sort of superb film to see while sitting behind the four most discourteous people ever to set foot in a movie theatre. I’m almost impressed that they managed to talk to one another perpetually, legitimately without ceasing, for an entire hour and forty-five minute picture, presumably not paying attention to a single second of the runtime. Why they even bother attending a festival, I haven’t a clue. After several astonishingly unpleasant experiences over the last six or seven years, I think I can declare respectful cinema-going — at least in my eyes — a dead form of thoughtfulness.
Review by Jacob ★★★★ 1

“So, take care?”
Beautiful, captivating storytelling that reminds viewers that the resources and options women have available to them are not always accessible in the way we imagine them to be. Cycles of abuse are difficult to break free from, even when the way out seems to be within reach. The dynamic between the two leads is contentious yet so genuinely empathetic, and I adored how both characters were so hard to pin down. The real-time pace of the film is a fantastic way of putting us in the characters' shoes, though I do think some cuts would’ve helped the film overall. Still a fantastic watch I can’t recommend enough.
Review by laura ★★★½

unfortunate that netflix buried this gem, which has the best use of a joni mitchell song i’ve ever seen.
quiet, but so profound. a story about women looking out for each other, giving them space, and understanding the pain that is impossible to put into words.
Review by Steve G 🐝 ★★★★½ 1

The Letterboxd Era Catch-Up 4: 53 Days a Slave
The increasing focus on Netflix Originals and the fluctuating quality of them has distracted away from one of the genuinely good things that Netflix do.
They regularly add titles to their catalogue that were either little seen or, in the case of The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, almost completely unknown. They've taken a title here that may well have faded into obscurity and in the process have allowed people an accessible way to view a really quite beautiful film that is also easily one of the best films I've seen this year. They do deserve some credit for that.
The vast majority of the credit should obviously go…
Review by Dara Khan 2

Permit me to cook with a simple binary for a second, but I've thought a lot about how the single-shot setpiece feels like it's employed in very masculine contexts—tours of gangland and disco clubs, bank robberies, scenes of military prowess or military retreat, a man beats up several other men in a hallway, predatory cars prowling the night—and have wondered how such a technique could be employed towards a feminine expression. And, well, here is The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, a film executed in a single take. It's unobtrusive—I didn't even notice until about a half hour in—but it feels absolutely essential to the film, a technique married to the emotional state of the players involved. The…
Review by CharmingPotato ★★★★ 2

Sometimes when I'm watching ASMR videos I think about how they mimic a basic need for intimacy and connection - just a person, hanging out with you, making human noises. I thought about ASMR a couple of times during this, with it's use of real time and diegetic sound. This isn't intended as a soothing bit of disposable media, like ASMR, and it succeeds in many other ways as a drama. But what struck me was how intimate it felt, how I was in those rooms with these women, and how watching each other can be so revelatory.
I added this to my watchlist entirely based on the title and the poster. Glad I choose to judge a book by the cover.
Review by Ethan ★★★★

Netlfix I am BEGGING you please stop throwing all your effort into poorly made teen dramas and put some time into promoting your vast catalogue that most people don’t know about.
Review by Joshua Dysart ★★★★ 4

Before I pick apart the primary formal choice in this film, let me say clearly and concisely: I really loved this. It was absolutely mesmerizing.
Violet Nelson and actor/co-director Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers are both completely believable in their roles, and the choice to only show female faces for the entire movie (men talk, but always from off camera) really keeps us centered on the experiences the filmmakers want us focused on. It’s wonderfully adept social cinema.
Cool, now... the format. This was shot on super 16mm (by Norm Li who photographed the stunning Beyond the Black Rainbow) and is mostly presented as a single take meant to represent real time. Though there are hidden cuts, I think I spotted exactly one…
Review by yanni ★★★★ 1

very blue but never cold. patient but urgent. very naturalistic lighting and writing with realism that breaks ur heart. gives u time to take a breath, have a sliver of hope, but knocks u back into place. lovely sensitivity from the writers and filmmakers. a gem
Review by Jason Béliveau ★★★ 1

Des fois, c'est niaiseux trop connaître le cinéma. Parce que je voyais bien que le film était tourné en 16mm, et que therefore cette longue prise de vue ne pouvait en être une, qu'un roll de 16mm dure à peu près 10 min., tra-la-la, où sont les coupures, je comprends la décision de tourner ainsi, même si des fois ça pousse un peu dans la prétention (comme ce titre), etc. Pis ça m'angoisse les plans-séquences, pour de vrai, après 15 min. j'ai l'impression de retenir mon souffle sous l'eau. COUPE! COUPE!
Demeurent les deux interprètes, magnifiques de subtilité. La relation est complexe, nuancée, envers l'une de l'autre, une rencontre fortuite, en temps réel, qui vient mettre en perspective certaines structures…
Review by James Betsalel ★★★★½

Brilliant, poetic, raw, elegant, crucial, unpretentious, and powerful. Thematically it reminded me of Kieswolski's work with a dependency on chance encounters and the kindness of strangers. But it's about so much more. Ably touching on a dizzying amount of topics within a relatively short run time filled with extended sequences of painful silence, it's really something to behold.
Filmed on a 16 mm handheld the camerawork is flawless for the minimalist story. It also has the most natural and unobtrusive use of the single-take real-time narrative gimmick, perhaps even the most impressive. I'm sure cuts are in their somewhere but I have no idea where they could be hidden.
Small, focused, and silent this may lose attention to some. But…

Recent reviews

Review by Kenny Prince ★★★★½

Eat shit 1917
Review by Corey Bussey ★★★★

This movie was free on Apple TV, it was on my radar for some time.
While watching I realized I recognized Elle in this movie or at least I think I do. I think worked with her momentarily while studying at VFS.
It is a good movie though I expected something different and more than something that occurs for only an evening. I was hoping for more though which isn’t a bad thing. I felt like I got a whole lot and more with Never Steady, Never Still but with this I just got a very bare bones story.
Review by Lindsey Thomas ★★★★★

Really powerful.
I haven’t seen many films that are comfortable just sitting with quiet, heavy moments and use silence the way this one does.
Review by Mr. Tables

Such an uncomfortable yet powerful experience.
A film about two women, both grappling with the emotional hardships of becoming a parent, one having just undergone an abortion and the other very close to actually having the baby. It’s also a film about abusive relationships, how the victims of said abuse rationalize their situations even when people are reaching out to help them, and the double edged sword of wanting to help those in these kinds of situations.
The film is also cut together to look like one seamless take, and while usually this tactic is employed to make something feel more theatrical, but here the reason isn’t to be flashy. The one-take aspect is utilized to stick you into this…
Review by Jason Béliveau ★★★ 1

Des fois, c'est niaiseux trop connaître le cinéma. Parce que je voyais bien que le film était tourné en 16mm, et que therefore cette longue prise de vue ne pouvait en être une, qu'un roll de 16mm dure à peu près 10 min., tra-la-la, où sont les coupures, je comprends la décision de tourner ainsi, même si des fois ça pousse un peu dans la prétention (comme ce titre), etc. Pis ça m'angoisse les plans-séquences, pour de vrai, après 15 min. j'ai l'impression de retenir mon souffle sous l'eau. COUPE! COUPE!
Demeurent les deux interprètes, magnifiques de subtilité. La relation est complexe, nuancée, envers l'une de l'autre, une rencontre fortuite, en temps réel, qui vient mettre en perspective certaines structures…
Review by Luuther ★★★★ 1

Essential Canadian cinema.
Review by evan bower

Screener
Review by Jon LeGris ★★★★½

A subtle and powerful masterpiece.
Review by JB_Rand ★★★★

Walking down some stairs
Review by Jonty ★★★

‘Life is a series of collisions with the future’
- José Ortega y Gasset
Why do you have to bring Joni into it like that, damn near cried!
Review by AdmitOne ★★★★

I saw Kathleen Hepburn’s debut feature, Never Steady Never Still, at VIFF a few years ago and she was also present to talk about it. I though that was a very strong and personal film and have been wanting to see her follow up. It’s currently being shown for free on iTunes and CBC Gem. Co-directed with Elle-Maija Tailfeathers (who also stars as Áila), this is quite an extraordinary work that delicately looks at a young and pregnant indigenous woman who has been subjected to domestic abuse, and who is aided by another woman in gentle encouragement to seek social support. Filmed almost in real time and (post titles) in one seeming long take, it’s a very intimate and fragile…
Review by OriginalSinead ★★★★★

Masterful. Watch it!