[Fantasia International Film Fest]: Ancestral Beasts

Morgan Holstrom as Elyse

Digging deep into the rooted trauma of Indigenous communities and particularly women, is Tim Riedel’s Ancestral Beasts, which is holding its world premiere at this year's Fantasia International Film Festival. Following an indigenous Métis woman as she attempts to gain some peace from her declining mental health problems, she soon comes face to face with the horror that so many of her fore-mothers were forced to endure. 

Elyse (played by Morgan Holmstrom) seeks refuge in her ancestral cabin after deciding to sever ties with her emotionally abusive sister. With her mental health in the pits, she attempts to reconnect with herself, seek help, and deal with her own trauma that arose from her mother suffering from a personality disorder and her consequential suicide. When situated in the cabin however, Elyse begins to be haunted by a centipede-like being which forces her to reckon with the intergenerational trauma that surrounds her family, as well as having to deal with her creepy neighbour who doesn’t seem to appreciate boundaries. 

In developing the film, Métis filmmaker Tim Riedel sought to create a collaborative production, seeking to share the stories of Indigenous communities, and shine a light on their history. In working with Elders, knowledge keepers, families, and academic experts, Riedel has woven a heartfelt and genuine narration throughout Ancestral Beasts, from the inclusion of the figure of the centipede which in some Indigenous cultures represents resilience, and others as a many legged trickster, to having a primarily Indigenous cast, the film seeks to lift the cover on issues such as the immensely large number of missing and murdered Indigenous women across North America.

Whilst the representation within the film, and the rich folkloric tradition intrinsically woven into its DNA creates a rich and interesting cinematic tapestry, the idea of intergenerational trauma in the horror genre is so saturated and thus causes the development of the plot to begin to fall flat and predictable. Despite an outstanding performance by Holmstrom as a woman on the edge of reality and sanity who clearly outshines every other actor in the film, Ancestral Beasts is an almost paint-by-numbers examination of intergenerational trauma and the cyclical nature of agony and suffering. 

3 Screams out of 5