Angela’s Shadow – Movie Review
First Reaction – Angela’s Shadow uses the horrors from history to drive a spiritual haunting.
Director: Jules Koostachin
Writer: Jules Koostachin, Steve Neufeld (Screenplay)
Cast
- Sera-Lys McArthur (Burden of Truth)
- Matthew Kevin Anderson (Woman of the Hour)
- Renae Morriseau
- Asivak Koostachin (Red Snow)
- Mahiigan Koostachin
Plot: When Angela, a 1930s socialite, visits her nanny’s remote reserve, she discovers her Cree ancestry and delves into her new-found spiritual traditions to save herself and her newborn baby from her husband’s psychotic, purity-obsessed racism. This unforgettable film is a dramatic tale of survival, defiance and ancestral power.
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Angela’s Shadow starts when Henry (Anderson) and Angela (McArthur) visit her former nanny Mary (Morriseau) before she gives birth. It takes them into the Native land where the Cree ancestry is still strongly followed. Henry gets to go on an adventure with the locals, where he is a fish out of water.
Elsewhere, Angela learns more about her family history, which is filled with an unknown tragedy. She becomes haunted by a figure trying to reconnect with her unborn child. Angela must understand the connection if she is going to raise her family in peace.
Verdict on Angela’s Shadow
Recap
The movie follows a pregnant woman returning to her ancestral roots. She learns about her family’s history and the more disturbing secrets being kept from her. However, an uneasy presence makes her life more difficult than she imagined.
Best Parts
This movie uses a connection to a native belief and the tragedy the people went through to create a horror. It shows how people will be haunted by the memories and the pain it caused everyone around them. We get good performances from the cast and the inclusion of Native actors help this thrive.
Worst Parts
Some of the horror moments are not as frightening as they are designed, which can leave the moments feeling flatter than expected.
Final Thoughts – Angela’s Shadow is a great dive into an evil containing with an ancestral background.
