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.
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
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…
This is a beautiful film from perspectives that need to be shared more often. Thank you for being so readily available to stream
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.
“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.
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.
(Watched with one of the directors and got to interview her!)
Nails that feeling of real life almost perfectly with damn good acting and commentary on Aboriginal relationships. Really wished the cinematography and presentation was just as good. I do feel like a fly on a wall as I should but there's a lot of moments where I went "Do I really need to pay attention/see this?" And it doesn't help that the monster long takes don't have enough going on to justify them.
It's totally different from what I like or normally watch and I'm really happy that I felt I was watching something extremely new.
Grade: B
Slow, mostly quiet, with long shots that give the effect of a continuous take and a single evening. I have very little room to speak on this knowledgeably, but the story entangles two characters in a thicket of cross-purposes. The characters experiences, needs, and end-views slide along and apart from one another. Aila wants to help Rosie. 'Help' can be such a shitty, disempowering word. There is one contemplated route out, it seems, escape, 'escape' from one abusive man. Is there really any 'escape' here, if it comes with a Bible or house rules or even just pity you shouldn't have to bear. Or in stability, and comfort, what can make you look apart from something that you can never…
it’s really interesting that this was all filmed in one shot, and also the topics it covers are so important. it just didn’t stand out to me or have any super memorable or super impactful scenes & that’s why i didn’t rate it higher.
A sobering look at the motions abuse victims go through when trying to escape their circumstances, the only closure The Body Remembers offers in the end is the possibility that things will get better for Rosie, as her case is not uncommon and she made the first step. Two phenomenal performances by Violet Nelson and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers ground the film along with steady camera work from Norm Li in what is largely one long take. More indigenous women onscreen and behind the scenes, please!
A mixed bag, but overall very solid. Most of the movie is in one take and it's very well done, which is naturally very impressive, but sometimes didn't really serve the movie very effectively. The script also seemed like it needed another draft, but it also might have been the delivery of the lines. It's all extremely naturalistic, so these awkward moments kinda broke the immersion for me. Still, an important and overall well done film.
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…
By eliminating mainstream cinematic elements, marketable elements, like frequent cuts, skipping to the good bits (the saddest bits and the action packed bits) to aid the duration, heavily manipulating the characters to fit within the confines of a full arc over an hour and a half, and floodlighting moments to add visual finesse and aesthetic, you're left with an honest study on violence against women, specifically native women, that doesn't feel the need to force an end where there often isn't one within a day. The importance lies in giving Rosie her agency, something that colonialism continues to steal, and subsequently those inherent patriarchal structures continue to commit violence upon. We see the aftermath of events in the space of…
Went in wanting to love this. Unfortunately, I ended up only appreciating it.
Cool, ambitious way of filming that involved a The Room esque technique of filming with at least two 16mm cameras that were eventually cut together to look like one continuous take. Which is neat, yet it didn’t feel all that justified by the story at hand. It’s a sad story but one that doesn’t often achieve genuine emotion without the byproduct of phoniness.
Still, I’m more than excited to see whatever this pair of directors’ embark on next.
Vanessa 5,551 films
Check out the official top 100 narrative feature films by women directors list
FAQ (please read before commenting)
1) Why…
aobh 13,980 films
This list is for scripts or source material written or co-written by women. Recs welcome!
Of interest: letterboxd.com/film/without-lying-down-frances-marion-and-the-power-of-women-in-hollywood/
🔮 dana danger 🔮 4,950 films
films directed by women, in chronological order. always in progress.
